The Pact of a Slytherin
by Lady Mione
Summary: He is coming for her. He will take her. And when the time is right he will kill her. She will be needed to protect. Her greatest test will come and her greatest success will be her greatest failure.Can the Buffster handle it? BtVSxHP
1. It Was Formed

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept.  
  
**!Important Notes!**: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. I've been working on it for almost a year now. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I started writing this before book five was out on the shelf, and instead of going back and redoing everything I have worked on I decided to keep it. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at Ladymioneaol.com.   
  
**Quick Summary**: _He_ was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. _She_ was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.

  
  
**The Pact Of A Slytherin **

Part 1: Lie to Me

_By: Lady Mione _  
  
**Chapter 1 It Was Formed **

May 23, The end of 6th year.  
  
His father always lectured about the importance of loyalties. When he was a child he learned to honor, respect, and trust the words of fellow Slytherin comrades. Under the Malfoy roof, loyalties were always taken seriously. His father had also preached about the will of a Slytherin. From the beginning he was taught to cheat, lie and hate to all those who weren't associated with the Dark Lord. In the Malfoy house the will of a Slytherin was of utmost importance. Throughout his entire childhood, he was taught nothing of love or friendship; those words were foreign to his ears. He had learned at a young age that his father never loved his mother; he only used her to bear the son that he needed. His heir. There was no love between them; he was only the key to gaining the power Lucius wished to receive from the Dark Lord.  
  
As a child he grew up cold, miserable and distraught. There were no fond childhood memories to dwell on. As for friendships, well, the only friend he had ever known was his mother. Crabbe and Goyle were brainless wastes of space that he only befriended because of their size. It wasn't exactly his choice that he was rather scrawny in his youth. Then of course there was Pansy, the one girl whom his father wanted him to marry. For the love of Merlin he was only eleven years old when his father informed him of their arranged marriage. It took him four years before he finally convinced his father to drop the wedding or the 'merger' as he called it.   
  
He often felt like there was a void inside of him; something he couldn't quite place, but he knew was there. It had caused him to become distant from everyone; it had engulfed his trust, his love, his being. The void owned him to a certain degree.

He tried to fill that void many times, replacing it with cruelty and bitterness, but that only seemed to make things worse. The colder he was, the more his father clung to the fact that one day Draco himself would be a Death Eater. To Draco, the Malfoy Manor was never really home and his father was nothing but a selfish bastard.  
  
Draco shook his head and glanced at the three faces across from him. He had never known what it felt like to possess true friendship, and to be honest, sometimes he wasn't sure if this was it either. To his right sat Blaise Zabini, a rather tall, bulky, brown headed ball of cunning capabilities. Yet despite his rather intimidating appearance Blaise was actually quite quiet. He took in his surroundings, studied people to such an intensity that sometimes Draco himself felt Blaise looking through him. To the group, he was known as the observer, but to Draco alone he was his best friend.

Across from him sat Lawrence Malevony, a transfer student from Germany. When Lawrence had first crossed his path, Draco took one look at his bleached blonde head and practically laughed in his face. He was an average height, probably around six foot even, and every feature that creased his face screamed weakness. Draco wasted no time in picking on him; even if he was in Slytherin. After all it was easier to pick on the weak to make yourself look superior. Then something happened one day during Christmas break. Lawrence approached Draco and stuck out his hand in a gesture of peace. At first Draco thought he was pulling some kind of joke, but after a few moments of staring Draco grasped Lawrence's hand. Lawrence was surprisingly quite strong, he shook Draco's hand with a fierce certainty, almost as if he was proving to Draco that there was no weakness inside of him. To the group he was known as the protector.

A quick glance to his left brought him to Armina Germaine, the only female with enough spunk and wit to actually win over the boys' hearts. Draco met Armina in his second year. She was a first year, and quite out going to say mildly. He had brushed her off many times, her attitude causing him to hex her once; by accident of course. Armina was an only child, very tiny, only 5 foot 1 to be exact. Her hair was long and dark, casting shadows across her face, but it was her eyes that captivated most people. Unlike so many, you could not read Armina's eyes, it was as if she had stopped feeling any sort of emotion. Draco had questioned her about it one day, wondering why her eyes seemed so lost inside of herself. She went silent for the first time and lifted the back of her shirt exposing her bare back. Her skin was covered in scars and bruises and in the very few words she spoke he found out that Armina's father beat her. Draco insisted that she let him help her but she was determined to get by in her own. She began meeting with the boys regularly , discussing different ways her father would beat her and the different ways she would retaliate. To the group she was known as the courage.

Their bond became solid as the term drifted on, each contributing forms of advice and comfort for one another. It was a feeling that sometimes made Draco feel uneasy. Yet he enjoyed the time they spent together, the topics often consisting on ways to avoid initiation to the Death Eaters. It wasn't until Lawrence had mentioned something about loyalty did Draco think of it. It came to him quickly, at first seeming a bit outlandish, but eventually sounding promising. They would form new loyalties. Commit themselves to each other and not to the their families. For they had each learned the same lessons from their parents; Loyalties are not to be broken.

Draco could see the look of concern on their faces, and he didn't blame them. What they were about to do was something he never dreamed of doing. Lawrence took a deep breath and grabbed the dagger from the floor. The silver blade glimmered in the candle light, causing Draco to smirk slightly. Closing his eyes Lawrence pierced his skin with the blade, the palm of his hand now bleeding rapidly. Draco took it next and in one swift motion he too pricked his palm. Passing the dagger to Armina he watched his own blood spill over his hand and to the floor. The crimson droplets pooling to the floor with slow drips. Armina squealed a bit as she cut herself, and then finally she tossed it to Blaise. He pierced himself quickly and now the four sat in silence staring at the blood that quickly filled the floor. Draco was the first to move his hand towards the center of the circle and doing this the others followed. Placing their palms together their blood swirled as one.  
  
" So shall it be said. We stand as one; together we bind our blood creating a pact that if broken would break the Slytherin law. We rise together as the four and if one shall fall we all fall. So is the loyalty of a Slytherin." Armina whispered and slowly they retracted their hands from each other.

" Well it's done, " Lawrence stated. " So to you my brothers and sister, I drink. " He placed his palm to his mouth and began sucking the blood from his wound.  
  
" You're disgusting. " Armina cringed and arose from the floor. " I'm heading back to the common room, are you coming?" She looked down at the boys who by now had taken the liberty to suck their own blood. " Ugh " She opened the door and rushed out.  
  
"Mia, wait !" Blaise pushed himself up from the ground and headed for the door. Draco felt his lips curve into another smirk. Although Blaise denied it twenty four hours a day, both Draco and Lawrence knew he loved Mia. Draco blew out the candle that was on the front table, and looked back at the spot where his new family was born.  
  
_" You are no longer my loyalty father, nor is Voldemort. My loyalties lie in them and now nothing can change my future. " _He looked at his wound and smiled. That night the Pact of the Slytherin's was formed.  
  
September 1st - 7th year  
  
_In his dreams Draco always found himself running. He never actually saw what he was running from, but he would run just the same. All he ever wanted to do in his dreams was run. He didn't want to face whatever was chasing him; he never wanted to know. Resolution seemed so far from his grasp, and for some reason it made him feel safer. For if he didn't know, then he wasn't expected to do anything about it. _

This time he was running through a forest. It was dark and cold and his feet crunched heavily on the frosted ground. He was deep within the forest. He could sense the presence of many creatures and he prayed that he wouldn't have to face any. The further he ran the darker it became. He stumbled only once, his foot catching a large root in the side of the path. Pausing abruptly, he checked his leg for any injuries, and then turned to run again, but stopped at the sight before him.

The forest had split completely into two paths. The path to his right emitted a deep red light in the far distance and the path to his left well, the path to his left caused him to blink twice. Standing in the middle of the path was a girl. He couldn't recall who she was, or if he had ever encountered her before, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She stood there silently, her image slightly wavering.

Draco narrowed his eyes, for he rarely had dreams involving other people. She reached out to him, and he felt the need to run to her, and so he ran. The faster he ran, the further away she seemed to be, the harder he tried to reach her, the more frantic he became, and then she was gone vanishing into the night. _The path was now empty and dark._

Brushing past some low tree limbs, he saw a clearing up ahead. It struck him as odd because not once had his dreams ever resolved themselves. He ran harder now and soon pushed past the last few branches. Completely baffled by the situations he was facing he emerged from the forest and sighed. He stopped and stared at Hogwarts. The giant castle looked ghostly in the dark. No candles lit the windows, no music or yelling children, it looked deserted. A flicker of light caught his attention. Hagrid's hut was lit and smoke curled out of the chimney. Tossing aside his pride, he jogged over to the hut and gently knocked on the door.  
  
" Hello? Hagrid? " There was silence, " Are you there? " More silence, then he heard a soft movement inside. " I'm coming in Hagrid." He pushed the door open and stuck his head inside.  
  
A rather handsome looking man sat smug in the oversized chair. He was poised and calm and his silvery blonde hair fell softly on his face. His complexion was of ivory and there was a malicious smile planted on his face, and his eyes, they were so familiar.   
  
" Who are you?" The words hissed from his mouth.   
  
" I've wondered when you would finally get here Draco. " He rose from the chair. " Please come inside."  
  
He proceeded with caution, he never liked strangers and something about this one irked him. The way he moved, the way he spoke, and the way his mouth twitched at the corners. It all seemed so familiar.   
  
" Tell me, did you find me easily? I tried to pick a spot I figured you would dream about."  
  
" Do you know who I am? I'm Draco Malfoy. You should cower under that name. I do not appreciate these games! Now explain yourself."  
  
" Ah, Draco. I remember those days. It seems only yesterday that I was there, believing exactly what you do, but let me be honest, things don't always turn out the way you wish them to. " The man curled his lips even more, a spark developing in his eyes; an electricity that frightened Draco more then he would like to admit.   
  
" I don't understand. "  
  
" Draco, I have been sent here from the future. I'm here to inform you of your second chance. The future, your future in particular, holds a key to something that could have been stopped. The first time you didn't prevent it from occurring, instead you made poor choices, ones that had terrible consequences . I can not explain everything to you, for then the future would change entirely, but let me assure you that things can change, there are ways to avoid it from happening. You need to challenge each choice as if it may be your last."  
  
" So, you're telling me my future? " Draco swallowed hard, the palms of his hands becoming sweaty.   
  
" Yes and no…you see Draco many men would die for a second chance in life. They pray and pray for another chance, but their will is too weak to grant it. However your will is powerful, so powerful that the Powers That Be could not deny you of that second chance. The choice will eventually be yours when you come to face it. It is entirely yours and yours alone, and you may choose to follow the path that you have already failed or perhaps this time, you may choose right. Remember Draco where your loyalties lie…"  
  
" But how will I know what I have chosen and what I have not?…You're being too vague…" his voice was frantic. He needed to know what to avoid and what to embrace. If there had ever been a time where he felt completely helpless, now would definitely be one of them.   
  
" Remember your loyalties…"  
  
" Draco… Sweetheart, you must get up, you begin your 7th year today. " Narcissa Malfoy gently nudged her son with her index finger, " Draco, please get up. " She shook him lightly and a soft moan escaped his mouth.  
  
" Morning mother, " he grunted and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  
  
" Aren't you excited Draco? This is your final year! " Narcissa beamed and kissed his forehead, " Now what would you like for breakfast? "  
  
This was his favorite part about the first day of term. His mother always prepared a giant breakfast before he left. Last year he had consumed four eggs, two sunny side up, one scrambled and one hard boiled, twelve bacon strips, a bowl of oatmeal, three butterbeers, a ginger tea and mound of pancakes. It was by far the best breakfast he had ever eaten. Placing his finger to his head he thought about what he would like this year; after all it was a very important decision.  
  
" All right I have decided, this year I would like… "His father opened his door with a loud bang and cut him off.  
  
" There is no time for breakfast this year Draco. I want you to dress and then join me in my study. " Lucius walked briskly into the room; his body hovering over Draco's bed as though he were stalking his prey.  
  
" But Lucius, the boy needs to eat, you can't expect him to leave on an emp… "  
  
" This is not your concern Narcissa, please do what you do best and remain quiet. " His voice was curt and full of disgust.   
  
Narcissa quickly dropped her head and bit her lip. The terror in her eyes was evident and Draco felt his anger brew deep inside of him. The way his father treated his mother was repulsive. There was absolutely no love between them and sometimes he wondered just how he managed to con her into marriage.  
  
" I'll be with you momentarily father, " he muttered, walking towards his bathroom. He gave his mother a reassuring look and closed the door firmly behind him.  
  
His bathroom was about the size of a small bedroom, complete with standing shower, swimming pool and a variety of plants. He loved his pool the best, basically because of the beautiful statue that sat on the edge. It was a tall slender figure of a woman and each time he swam by her she would wink devilishly. The first time he undressed before her he felt his face grow warm with embarrassment; after all he was only nine when she was installed.

Yet now being sixteen he felt no embarrassment and wasted no time in stripping off his clothes. In fact he was quite impressed with his naked body, and he was sure that many girls would be as well. Grabbing a bottle of shampoo he dove into the pool and resurfaced with a grin. If only his father hadn't spoiled his morning, he would have been in a better mood. Squirting a few drops of the sudsy liquid into his palm, he glanced at the scar that graced its surface. It brought back the memories of his friends. His friends, the word was still quite new to him. He couldn't recall at time where he was excited about seeing his friends, but now he was, and the first thing they would do was discuss the bizarre dream he had.

He closed his eyes and imagined the man who sat in Hagrid's chair. Was it wrong if he believed the dream was actually a message, or was he only a fool to think such things? Why had he given Draco a second chance when he didn't even know what he did wrong yet? There were questions burrowing deep into his skin, each one providing him with no answer.

He rubbed his forehead, trying to replay the dream slowly in his head. He could picture the trees, the dense dark that filled the forest, and the path that he had tried to run down. The girl. Who was the girl in the path, and why was he trying to reach her? Was she part of his future? Perhaps she knew something that he needed to find. Shrugging lightly, his thoughts turned back to the man in Hagrid's hut. The way he moved his hands as he spoke, the malicious glimmer in his eyes. Why did he look so bloody familiar? Then it dawned on him; the man in the dream wasn't a stranger at all, and in fact he knew the man quite well. It all made perfect sense. The reason the man seemed so familiar was because he had met him before.

" My God, that was me. " He leaned against the pool wall. " That was the future me…"  
  
" Draco! " his mother pounded on the door, " You better hurry before your father gets angry. "  
  
His mother's voice woke him from the daze he had fallen into and quickly he plunged under water to rinse his hair. Swimming over to the ladder, he winked at the statue who wore a huge grin. He dried himself quickly and picked out his clothes, black pants and a black sweater. He hated wearing Muggle clothes but he looked damn good in them. Slicking back his hair he took one more glance into his oval mirror. He was better looking as the days went by, but the look on his face could have killed a manticore. Reluctantly, he opened up his bathroom door and headed to his father's study.  
  
The left wing of the Manor was always dark and cold; exactly like his father. As a child he never walked in the left wing alone for fear of his father. Now as he passed the many paintings of his ancestors, he felt nauseous. He knew why his father had called him to the study, he had been dreading this moment since his first year at Hogwarts. Today was the day his father would inform him of his Death Eater initiation, and he still had not devised a plan on how to tell him he didn't want it. His father had been waiting for this moment since Draco was born, and for him to completely obliterate his fathers dream would surely earn him a severe beating. Swallowing the lump in his throat he leaned against the outside of his father's study and listened. He wanted to be sure that he was alone. He wasn't in the mood for surprise visits from other Death Eaters. Knocking on the door with a firm fist, he heard his father's call to enter. Pushing in the large oak door he cursed under his breath. Peter Pettigrew sat smugly in the chair next to his father.  
  
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
The sun rose high over Sunnydale. It kissed the grounds with pure light, forcing the creatures of the night back to their nests. At least until the sun set again. The morning dew sparkled on the grass, giving off such a radiant beauty it was almost impossible to imagine that everything had almost been destroyed. Rupert Giles leaned back in his chair, his cup of tea resting on his knee. Had it been only a day ago where he thought the sun would never rise again? It seemed dreamlike when he thought about it, but the pain in his right arm reassured him that it did occur. It played over in his mind, the darkness the he had seen in Willow, frightening him to say the very least. .  
  
Now this new situation. He had known one day the call would come, but he now regretted the reason. He had pleaded with the Ministry, tried countless times to explain the pain in which Willow endured. It was to no avail, they were set in their decision. Despite the fact she was avenging the life of her lover, Willow was a murderer, and her punishment was a sentence to Azkaban. The thought of Willow in Azkaban shot chills down his spine. 

Bringing the small cup of tea to his lips, he felt his features ease a bit. He was glad that he kept in touch with Albus after all these years, for it was his idea that had saved Willow's life. Albus had advised the Ministry that Willow would be attending Hogwarts at the start of the new term. At first the Ministry downed the idea, insisting that Willow's actions clearly classified her as a murderer; not to mention the utter commotion she had caused the American Misuse of Magic Dept. Yet Albus was persistent, and in less then twenty minutes he had convinced them to let Willow redeem herself by learning the correct way to perform magic. A way to conjure it through inner strength and control, and not emotion and erratic behavior.  
  
Giles scratched his chin, a small yawn escaping his lips. The only trouble now was telling Willow she would be leaving for London in roughly six hours. He had devised a simple yet cunning plan just in case she put up a struggle; he was prepared to bribe her. There was a rustle of noise from upstairs and Giles tensed slightly. Footsteps clattered down the steps and he smiled as Dawn pushed into the kitchen.

"Good Morning Dawn, I trust you had a good night's rest."

She forced a smile to her face and shrugged. " Yeah I guess…" Her passive attitude surprised even herself, but she couldn't tell Giles the way she really felt. The way the horrific images haunted her at night. Instead she grabbed the cereal box from the counter and poured herself a small bowl.

"Is Willow awake yet?" He peered over his glasses taking note at how incredibly tired she looked.

Before Dawn could answer, Willow pushed into the kitchen. Her eyes seemed to sink low with misery as she glanced warily around the kitchen. Her eyes made contact with Giles for a brief moment, but she turned her head before he had a chance to say anything. The feeling inside of her was uneasy, after all it had only been a mere day ago she had almost destroyed the world.

"Morning Willow." Dawn tried to sound cheerful as she spooned some cereal into her mouth.

Willow flicked her gaze to Dawn, her voice strained lightly as she searched for a pleasant reply.

"Hey…" was all she managed to get out of her mouth.

Giles hesitated, she was so strong, but yet she was so fragile. He was certain that Hogwarts would help her, but a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach irked him.

"Willow…" He stammered his words, " Willow I'm afraid I have some good news, and then some slightly bad news. "

"Giles I … " She cut herself off, trying to make excuses for her actions, becoming tired some. She knew the Counsel would eventually come after her, she had been expecting Giles to advise her of this for awhile now.

"Tell me the good news first, lord knows I could use some good news right about now. " She dropped into the chair next Dawn

.

Giles ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes fixing on Dawn. Subtly he motioned for her to step out of the room. Dawn arched her eyebrow.

"Something in your eye Giles? " She nonchalantly took another spoonful of cereal. Giles shook his head and again motioned towards the door with his eyes. Dawn look at Willow and scrunched her face in confusion. " He's been making weird faces like that for the last day or so. " She chuckled and spooned some more cereal into her mouth.

Giles pounded his hand on the table causing both girls to jump in their seats. " Dawn, leave please. "

Dawn stood from her chair with a frustrated sigh. "Well geez, someone is a bit grouchy this morning. If you really wanted me to leave you just had to ask, but no, you had to do the whole weird eye thing and make me look like an idiot. " She placed one hand on her hip and the bowl in her free hand. " Just because I'm 16 doesn't mean you need to treat me like the average teenager. I don't always have to know the juicy information. " She rolled her eyes.

"Dawn, please not now. " Giles held his hand to his forehead and tried to remain calm. He motioned her to the door one last time before turning back to Willow.

"Willow, for quite some time I've regretted my mistake in not informing you about the other world that is magic. It's hard to explain really, but there is so much that you hardly even know. I… "

There was a clang behind him and he peered over his shoulder. Dawn froze in her place, her cereal spoon hanging slightly from her mouth. She looked between the two of them, her face turning a light shade of red.

"Right, um, sorry…I'll be leaving now. " Turning quickly on her heel she left the room.

" Now where was I…ah yes…"

Willow adjusted herself in the chair and sighed. " Not to be a stick in the mud Giles, but could you get to the point. I know this is about my punishment so please just cut to it. "

Giles shifted his gaze to the window, the sun creating shadows on the tall lamp posts outside. Five hours until she would have to leave.

"Its not really a punishment Willow, more of a redemption. You will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn the correct practice of magic. There you will learn about inner strength and control. I believe you will find the study quite fascinating. "

Willow blinked hard, her eyebrows furrowed into a very puzzled expression.

"I just tried to end the world and your sending me to a school to learn more about magic? That doesn't sound very logical…It's like hiring a recovering alcoholic at a brewery...just not the smartest idea. " She shook her head and ran her hand over her eyes.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice Willow. Either you attend school at Hogwarts this term or you serve a life sentence in the Wizard prison of Azkaban. " He struggled with these last few words, knowing she was clueless about the serious nature of Azkaban.

"Well perhaps I deserve a life sentence. Giles I took someone's life and no magic, no matter how powerful, can change that. I'm not Willow, I don't deserve another chance. I'm nothing but a murderer. " She felt the corners of her eyes fill with tears. She didn't want to learn the correct ways or try to redeem herself. All she wanted to do was to die.

"Willow you don't understand. There are creatures in the Wizarding world you know nothing about. Demons that we have never faced…and these 'things' that reside in Azkaban, these Dementors, they feed off of you. It's as though they suck the energy right out of your soul and leave you with nothing. Willow, please, you will be attending Hogwarts this term."

"Now that sounds like a proper punishment, its what I deserve. " Rising from her chair she wandered over towards the window. " Its no use trying to persuade me Giles, I know that I have to pay for my actions. If this is how it must be done then so be it."

With one quick abrupt movement, Giles crossed the room towards Willow, his hand reaching out and grasping her by the elbow. He turned her to face him, rarely did he like to act fatherly. but as he searched Willow's vacant eyes his heart reached out to her.

"People make mistakes Willow. Not just scorned lovers or disturbed people but everyone…we all take actions we sometimes regret. Sometimes out actions speak louder then what we thought we are capable of. I recall when Jennie passed. Sometimes we do things we cant explain, things that we cant change…but the future is our own and if you choose to let guilt beat you, then I'm sorry to say that, yes, you are a murderer, but if you try to heal…try to redeem your ways, then the world can begin to grant forgiveness and you can eventually forgive yourself. " He waited with baited breath for her answer.

She lowered her eyes to the floor, ashamed of her actions, basically ashamed of herself all together. She stuck her index fingers in the belt loops of her jeans, a sigh escaping her lips.

"When do we leave?"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

" What the hell is he doing here?" Draco scowled and entered the room. Out of all his father's friends it had to be Peter. He never understood how such a slimy idiot became the right hand man of the Dark Lord. It made him wonder just exactly the type of wizard the Dark Lord might be, an idiot. 

"Please don't begin with your antics Draco, I have little time to play silly games."

Peter shot Draco a satisfied smirk as if to egg him on further. Draco just brushed him off and sat in the large black leather chair across from his father. He was not going to begin another argument with Pettigrew, especially in front of his father.

Lucius sat back in his chair, his fingers curling around the skinny glass set in front of him. He brought it to his lips, drinking in the sweet taste of the Ginger Rum. Placing the glass back down on his desk he brought his eyes level with Draco's, a fierce strength burning within them.

"Now Draco, as you know your seventeenth birthday will be occurring this year. I am quite pleased to announce that the Dark Lord himself has begun to take interest in you. He seems quite satisfied with your capabilities and connections and once your birthday arrives you will receive a letter from me informing you of your initiation. Once you receive your mark your loyalty will be tied to the Dark Lord forever. "

Lucius smirked and motioned to Peter. With another sly smile Peter removed a small item from his pocket. He tossed it over to Draco, who caught it in a swift single motion. Opening his hand he stared down at the black crystal. It hung delicately from a silver chain, and Draco could sense it was expensive; the power he felt as he held it sent chills through his body.

"What's this?" he glanced between his father and Peter with uncertainty.

"You will learn soon enough. Just be sure to keep it around your neck at all times. Never go anywhere without it, and do not to let it fall into the wrong hands. " Lucius folded his hands together with a manly grace. " I will owl you soon Draco, you are free to leave."

Draco didn't hesitate; he jumped from the chair and headed quickly for the door. Escaping his father as soon as possible was important, the less he had to see him the better things were. He reached for the doorknob and turned it.

"Oh and Draco…"

He paused at the door, turning back to his smirking father.

"Be sure to have a good first day at school."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Willow clutched her bag tightly to her side as she trudged down the stairs. Giles informed her not to pack heavy because she would be receiving new belongings once she arrived at Hogwarts. Her stomach flopped as she entered the living room, Buffy, Dawn and Xander were sitting silently on the couch. They exchanged reassuring glances, each knowing the difficulty of this trip.

Xander placed his hands on his thighs and pushed himself up from the couch. He moved towards her, his steps slow and cautious but his eyes embracing the Willow he had grown up with for as long as he could remember. He inhaled every feature, every movement, every single breath, as though it would be the last time he saw her.

"You write to us…every chance you can…"

"Owling…" Giles chimed in from behind.

"Owl what?" Xander looked over Willows shoulder, his eyebrows arched in puzzlement.

Giles places his own bag on the floor, his hand absentmindedly moving to his glasses. "Owling, its what they call sending a letter. You don't write or send a letter, you owl a letter. "

"Well that's fascinating, I'd love to see how they travel. What do they call car rides?" Xander chuckled to himself, stopping abruptly as Buffy and Dawn flashed him confused faces. " Alright, so it was only funny to me…"

"Actually Xander they don't drive. There are many ways to travel in the Wizarding world. Riding a broom, Apparating, port keys, Flooing. We will be Flooing today. "

Willow swallowed hard. " How exactly do we...uh Floo?"

Giles chuckled under his breath. " Its quite simple really. " He moved passed Willow and Xander and paused in front of the fireplace. Shoving his hands in his pockets he brought out a small pouch. Pulling back the strings, he emptied a powdery substance into his hand, a small amount spilling to the floor. "You will first take this powder and stand in the fireplace. Then you will clearly yell where you wish to go and throw the powder at your feet. Once you do this you will be engulfed in a giant green flame and transported to your destination. Ready?" He held out his hand to Willow, opening his palm and sprinkling the powder in her hand.

"Geez, Giles you make it sound so exciting. Are you sure this isn't a cremation?" Xander rolled his eyes sarcastically, his head shaking the slightest.

"Could…could you go first Giles…just so I can see…" Willow felt her hands begin to shake.

"Why yes, of course. How silly of me. Just be sure to pronounce it correctly. We will be heading to Diagon Alley, and please hurry, we only have two hours before the train leaves. "

Giles stepped into the fire, his eyes twinkling with a childish delight. "Diagon Alley!" He threw the powder at his feet, and in a second he was devoured by a large green flame, and then he was gone. The four of them stood there with wide eyes, a bit too shocked to say anything. Willow looked at the powder in her hand. She knew she didn't have much time. After all Giles had already done so much for her, she couldn't make him wait around because she was scared.

She softened her smile and moved to Dawn, folding her arms around her like a delicate doll.

" You behave Dawnie, and let me know if you need anything. Thank you for being here for me when I truly needed you. Buffy is lucky to have a sister like you."

"I'm not just Buffy's Willow….I'm your sister too." Dawn pulled away from her, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

Willow smiled again at Xander, his comforting grin was all she really needed from him. It was Buffy that would be the hardest to leave behind. She had become such a pillar in her life that sometimes it made her wonder if Buffy ever knew how much Willow cared for her. Buffy didn't say a word, she moved to Willow, her eyes dark and sunken from the previous night's patrol. Yet here she was, awake and willing to smile for her friend. Willow felt the corners of her eyes tear. Buffy had given so much up for her, for her friends, for the world, and now with one single action Willow had almost crumbled everything. Still Buffy forgave her, invited her back into her life as though nothing had occurred. Buffy wasn't just the slayer, the chosen one, she was everything that Willow wished she could be.

Buffy brought her hands up to Willows face and wiped the tears from her eyes. Her actions were soft and delicate, the usual hard and calloused hands of the slayer vanishing as she comforted her friend.

"Buffy I…"

"You don't need to justify anything Will, just promise me that you will return to us as soon as possible. Look within yourself and find the things that you need, find the things that are important to you. Believe in yourself, and remember who you are and how loved you are….remember every memory, all good, and all bad. Remember to breathe, and think, and don't settle for anything less then what you're willing to settle for. I know you can do this Willow, Dawn knows, Xander knows….and now you need to know. You can win this fight, just believe. " Buffy stepped back and smiled.

Willow forced herself towards the fireplace. Every ounce of her wishing she could just stay another day. She stepped into the fireplace, the powder grinding in the palm of her hand. The beads of sweat dripped from her forehead, a small proof to her nervous nature. She smiled again, a smile wishing them goodbye. With one quick motion she tossed the powder to her feet.

"Diagon Alley!" With a flash of vibrant green light Willow was gone.

Giles waited patiently in the narrow alley. He was relieved, not many people used this fireplace entrance, He was sure Willow would be intimidated by the hype of Diagon Alley, and he wanted to ease her into the excitement as easily as possible. There was a flash behind him followed by a loud thud. He looked back over his shoulder and smirked as Willow tumbled from the fireplace.

"Need help?" Giles turned fully around and offered his hand to her. With a tight mouth she took his hand and pulled herself up from the street.

"That wasn't as 'simple' as you described it. I nearly missed the exit."

Brushing some loose soot from her clothes she looked around. They were in a dark narrow alley. A few scattered barrels leaned neatly against the wall. Willow sighed and absentmindedly played with the strap of her bag. She couldn't deny that she felt wrong here, or at least out of place. This wasn't her world or her type of magic. She was accustomed to practicing for herself, not for the likes of others.

Giles gently took her by the shoulder and began to guide her down the alley. He paused for a moment and then finally they emerged out into the long strip that was Diagon Alley. He heard Willow gasp lightly and he had expected as much. After all the sight was utterly amazing. People bustled happily along the street, some stopping in shops while others chatted with friends. A few large owls flew over head in the direction of The Daily Prophet, most likely carrying news articles or letters to the journalists.

It had been years since he last stepped down this road and he never realized how much he missed it until then. Giles himself had never actually gone to wizarding school, but he had befriended Albus Dumbledore almost 15 years ago, just as Voldemort was at the peak of his chaos to be exact. He smiled at a few passing witches and continued down the road.

'She will do alright here.' he thought to himself. _'Alright indeed.'_

Willow's eyes darted from store to store, her eyes trying to absorb as much information as she possibly could. It was a sight she surly would never forget. It was more then she could ever imagine. She followed closely behind Giles, knowing there was much to do with little time. They turned a slight curve and she followed closely as Giles pushed through a large wooden door, her mind so excited she didn't get a chance to read the name of the store.

She stepped into the dim lit store and almost gagged on the musty smell wafting through the air. It was a book store. Aisles and aisles of books shoved neatly into shelves that rose as high as the ceiling. She wasn't sure where to begin, but figured Giles knew where he was taking her. He led her over to a large table, the sign reading 'HOGWARTS STUDENTS' He browsed through the books as Willow continued to look around. Her eyes caught sight of a nearby book and she felt her eyes grow wider as the picture on the cover winked at her.

"Giles…." she whispered. " Is it normal for the pictures to be winking, or moving for that matter?" Without much thought she had grabbed lightly onto his jacket for sense of security.

"All the pictures here move. They don't own Muggle camera's, their cameras produce moving pictures." His eyes didn't stray from the table as he spoke.

"Oh…" her voice was weak, still unsure about this new place. " Giles…what's a Muggle?" Her eyebrow arched to some extent.

He grabbed a few more books and piled them in his arms. " I'm sorry Willow, I keep forgetting that you're new to all of this. Here." He handed her the top two books, the thicker one titled Hogwarts: A History, and the second titled, From A-Z: A Wizarding Encyclopedia. Willow placed both books down on the table and opened them. Giles had begun to head for the counter and Willow seized the moment. She placed one hand on each book and closed her eyes. Quickly she muttered a few words.

" _Perbibo Cipere "_

A sudden jolt jerked her body and she pressed her eyelids tighter. She felt the words rise through her body and begin to file themselves away in her head. Some of the knowledge was magnificent while other knowledge was awful. A soft cry escaped her throat as she began to learn the information about Voldemort. She felt her body shake as she read about the tormented families , and the terror that ran through her veins caused her to pull her hands quickly from the book. Her breathing was heavy as she flipped quickly through the pages, each of then blank of any information. She quickly looked over her shoulder at Giles and cringed. If he had realized what she had done he would most likely lose all hope in her, and she needed that hope more then she needed anything else. Moving towards the books again, she grabbed the same exact two that Giles had picked out for her and she ran over to the front counter. What he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him. Or so at least she hoped.

She reached the counter and watched as Giles paid for the books, recalling what the encyclopedia had said about sickels, knuts and galleons. Smiling slightly to herself, she followed Giles out of the store and they continued back down the crowded street. She faintly heard Giles mumbling something about power control, but she was to busy staring at the large tawny barn owl in the window of the menagerie.

Stepping up a small stoop she found herself entering another dark shop, the sign reading Ollivanders. Giles stepped to the side and let her walk by him, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the light. There were many thin narrow boxes that lined the walls. A low noise sounded to her right and she turned her attention to an elderly man with a genuine smile. He stared at her as she stood there, causing her to feel far to uncomfortable in the situation. Willow sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but he clapped his hands together and startled her instead.

"Oh Ms. Rosenberg, I've been waiting for your arrival. " His feet glided over to a stack of boxes and he removed one from its place. " Here, try this. Its 9 inches, willow with mermaid scale. "

Willow took the wand from the box and looked it over slowly. The encyclopedia had said that all witches and wizards used wands to focus their power and energy. To her it was just a lame excuse because they lacked real power. She twirled it once in her fingers and waved it. There was a large popping noise and she watched in horror as the front window shattered into pieces.

"No, that won't do. " Mr. Ollivander reached for another box and smiled. " This is 11 ½ Cedar with dragon heart string. "

Grasping the wand carefully in her hand, she waved it once. This time absolutely nothing happened, and Willow looked down on the wand as if it were broken.

"I think there is something wrong with this one Sir. "

Mr. Ollivander shook his head with a smile. " No my dear, it's just not for you."

Boxes of wands began to pile up around Willow, each wand she tried just not the wand to suit her. Time was running short, and Willow could see Giles begin to pace around the room. Mr. Ollivander sighed as he reached for the next box, the yellow stripe wrapping around the brown rectangle. He began to put it aside, knowing the wand it held was one generally used for darker families, but something held him back. He opened the box and handed Willow the wand.

" Here, This is Yew, 13 ¼ inches with a single unicorn hair. Give it a wave. "

Willow remained silent as she took the wand in her hand. The feel of the wood tingling her finger tips the slightest. A dark cloud of red filled the room, causing the three of them to tremble with uncertainty. Giles leaned against the door and watched as the cloud began to spin in circles around Willow. It grew larger and larger, the red color deepening with each second. A gust of wind raged through the room, knocking over Mr. Ollivander and Giles. Willow held tightly to the wand as the wind grew stronger. Then it came quick, a sudden rush towards the wand knocking Willow to the floor. The red cloud surrounded her, and grew darker. The tip of the wand began to glow, and then it stopped. The red cloud was sucked into the wand and disappeared in an instant.

"My…well I never thought that I would see that again. " Mr. Ollivander rose from the floor and brushed off his robes.

"See what? " Willow questioned as Giles helped her up from the floor.

" The Red Cloud of Peril. The last I saw it, times were quite different, and the people were quite impressionable. The Red Cloud of Peril comes around to those who hold strong inner power. Power that could be among the strongest power known. The last man who obtained the Cloud of Peril used it to cause much peril, and his name is as much a curse as the Unforgivable curses. "

Giles eyes widened at this. It wasn't possible that Willow held as much power as Tom Riddle, or was it? He ran his fingers through his hair and listened to the words that Ollivander provided Willow with.

" Yet you my dear, are much different then that man. I can see it in your eyes. You will be faced with many great challenges this year Ms. Rosenberg, and I must say, most of them will be terrible. But…" His eyes softened, and his voice remained calm. " I see great potential inside of you. Do not fear my dear, just believe in yourself, and great things will come to you. " He took the wand from her and placed it back in its long box. He calculated out the exact amount she owed and took the money from her without another word.

Willow shook lightly as she followed Giles out of the shop. The words that Mr. Ollivander spoke lingered in her head. The rest of their shopping was completed in silence.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Draco pulled his trunk along Platform 9 ¾, his eyes searching for any signs of his friends. There had been silent tension as he left his house, the pained expression on his mother's face followed by the stony expression of his father's. In all honesty he was glad to be out of there although he desperately wished he could help his mother. A tall skinny man limped over to him and offered to place his trunk in one of the empty compartments. Draco nodded a thank you, and allowed the man to lug his trunk away.

A group of timid first years moved passed him, and he shoved his hands in his pockets with a smirk. The terrified look on their faces always put him in a better mood. He slowly swaggered down the platform, his mind drifting off to another place. It wasn't until he bumped into another figure did he realize he had been daydreaming.

"Watch it Mal-Ferret!"

Draco adjusted his focus and glared at the figures before him. If his morning hadn't been bad enough, now he had to deal with confronting Potter, Weasley and Granger.

" Granger if I were you, I'd control that Weasel boyfriend of yours. His bloody large mouth is asking for it. "

"Sod off Malfoy." Harry stepped forward and glared evenly with Draco.

They stood their ground, neither moving an inch, even when Hermione hissed back at Draco. " he is not my boyfriend Malfoy." It was moments like these that Draco wanted to punch Harry square in the nose, prove to him that it wasn't just powerful magic he possessed, but a powerful punch as well.

" These losers bothering you Draco?" A deep voice sounded behind him. Draco smirked and looked over his shoulder at Blaise.

" No Blaise, I believe Potty, Weasel and the Mudblood were just about to leave. " He exchanged another glare with Harry and smiled in victory as the three turned and fled in the opposite direction.

Throwing his arm around Draco's shoulder, Blaise lead him down the platform. "Well that made for a pleasant morning. How are things going? " Blaise gave him a sideways glance and narrowed his eyes.

"Would you stop looking at me like that. You know I'm not going to lie to you. Stop studying me like I'm some floozy girl your trying to get with, " Draco sighed.

Blaise continued to study him. He didn't mean to do it, but it came naturally to him. Shrugging his shoulders he let go of Draco and turned to face him fully. " Rough morning I suppose. Did you get the speech as well? The git woke me up three hours early just to inform me that this was my year. I'd like to inform him that he is an arse, but I doubt he would appreciate that."

Draco chuckled under his breath. " Well at least you didn't have any surprise visitors. My father brought along Pettigrew for my little ditty. I wanted to hex that slimy prat to Scotland. "

"Quite understandable. I hate him just as much as I hate my own father."

For awhile they caught up on their summers, each exchanging small stories and bits of information. It felt good to be in the company of a friend, and Draco couldn't help but let off a genuine smile.

"Is that Draco Malfoy? Smiling? Oh what has this world come to?" A delicate voice approached them, and they both smiled at the two who neared them.

" How I missed you snide remarks Mia. " Draco smirked and turned his attention to Lawrence. " Good to see you Lawrence, how have you been?"

Lawrence sneezed. " I'm bloody sick and heading back to school, how do you think I am?"

Mia placed her hand on Lawrence's arm. " Oh don't be so down Lawrence, it could be worse.

You could be a bloody sick Gryffindor and heading back to school. " Armina smirked.

"You're lucky I'm sick, and lucky you're a girl. " Lawrence glared at her and then broke into a smile.

"Uh excuse me, but if you two are done can we please go get some seats. I refuse to be stuck in a compartment with whiney first years again." Draco pushed through them and headed for the train.

He didn't like being stuck sharing a compartment. Last year he was forced to sit with a group of immature first year girls. Throughout the entire train ride he was forced to listen to their giggling and whispering. He had fought down every urge to turn around and perform a silencing charm on each of them.

Most of the compartments were full already and Draco could hear Blaise groan behind him. If they didn't find their own compartment, they wouldn't be able to talk about anything without some sniveling little eavesdropper listening in. Draco moved towards the last few compartments and silently prayed that one was empty. He squinted ahead through the small glass window of the next car and grinned. His eyes caught sight of short fiery red hair. She was alone, and he knew that his mere presence would frighten her out of the compartment. After all he had found out last year that she had an enormous crush on him. Pushing the compartment door open he smirked at the back of her head.

" If it isn't the baby Weasel…"

He heard Blaise chuckle behind him, and he waited for her to turn around and face him. The figure sat completely still, and Draco frowned.

"Are you deaf Weasel? "

He taunted her one more time hoping this time he would strike a nerve causing her to leave. Yet again she remained motionless. Draco cursed softly and stalked over to her still figure. Grasping her lightly on the shoulder he turned her to face him, and his features faltered.

"You're not the Weasel…who the hell are you?"

Note

Well I do hope you've enjoyed this first installment. Please give me as much feedback as possible. Do you think I should change it to make it more current with the books new themes, or should I just go with what I already have written? You voice is a huge help so please let me know. Thanks bunches. I will update soon!


	2. Who Are You Really?

****

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept. Buffy isn't mine either though I certainly wish it was.   
  
**Notes**: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at Ladymioneaol.com.   
  
**Quick Summary**: _He_ was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. _She_ was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.

One More little note….Thank you for the reviews, I appreciate them very much. As for anyone who believes that this plot has been overdone you are in for a pleasant surprise. Believe me I have worked on this for far too long to make it a carbon copy of what ever else is out there. Anyway….please review! Thanks!!!!!!!

**Chapter 2 Who Are You Really?**

Willow's eyes slowly rose at the sneering voice. Her heart thumped slightly, and she felt her hands begin to shake. It was at that moment when her eyes locked in on a pair of sliver eyes before her. He looked down at her; his eyes filled with a harsh emotion she was not used to seeing. She jumped in her seat as he spoke; the tone of his voice callous.

"Well, are you just going to stare at me like a some idiot? Who the hell are you?" Draco's eyes raked her body with a curious nature.

" I'm sorry, but I don't understand. I'm Willow, Willow Rosenberg to be exact. I'm from America." She fidgeted in her seat; her eyes glancing over her shoulder at the other figures in the compartment.

" Are you another Weasley or something? Some distant relative? " Armina arched her eyebrow.

Willow looked nervously between the group of them. Was she a Weasley? Her voice stammered as she spoke. " I-I-I don't know if I am, what's a Weasley? "

There was a long silence as Draco studied her. He could tell that she was genuinely scared, and that made him smile with superiority.

"Well if you don't know who the Weasleys are then consider yourself lucky. " Dropping down in the seat across from her he held out his hand, " I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Carefully she took his hand, "Like Bond, James Bond? " Willow chuckled but her smiled faded as she saw the confused looks on their faces.

She watched as the three other students sat down accordingly, and she folded her hands across her lap with nervousness. She had planned on keeping to herself her entire time at Hogwarts but now as these people sat around her she realized how incredibly difficult that would be. The train ran smoothly along the track as she sat in the plush compartment seat. Silently she looked between the group wondering if she should say something, but she sighed with relief as Armina began droning on and on about the different classes Hogwarts provided.

Willow listened intently as Armina filled her in on Hogwarts; the boys rolling their eyes occasionally. Willow leaned back in her seat and glanced over at Blaise. His eyes were heavily fixed on Armina, and Willow concluded that he had some sort of secret desire for her. It was plainly obvious by the glimmer in his eyes. Willows heart lurched at the sight. Tara used to look at her the same way. Her eyes wandered over to Lawrence whom was staring out the window. His face was hard to read, but Willow figured he liked to keep his feelings tucked inside. Arminas voiced brought her out of a daze and she turned slightly in her seat to listen.

"…And Slytherin is by far the best house. You definitely look like Slytherin potential…." her voice faded out again and Willow's eyes flickered towards Draco.

Her stomach flopped. There was something about Draco's eyes that made her feel uneasy. It could have been the fact that she had never before witnessed a silvery pair of eyes, or it could have been how they seemed to have experienced more than any full grown man she ever met. It was as though he had seen the world rise and fall within the short years he was alive. They were dark, emotionless, but at the same time there was a courage behind them that caused her to gasp. They reminded her of something, of someone, they reminded her of Spike.

"…And its more or less a guarantee that you will fall asleep in History of Magic. I suspect that Professor Binns died because he was so boring. " Armina rolled her eyes slightly and took a breath.

Draco turned and caught Willow's eye which caused her to look away in embarrassment. Had he seen her staring?

Willow fidgeted in her seat, "Well-I-I like boring. Besides it will probably be good for me. I need to learn something tame. " Her voiced cracked.

Draco furrowed his brow; his eyes narrowing as he studied her face. It was creased with lines of regret; lines of sleepless nights. Her cheeks were drawn and sallow with color. She almost looked ghostly. Nervous sparks flashed in her eyes as she spoke, and for a brief moment he was reminded of his mother. Many nights he watched her face crease with the same lines, the same regret. Her eyes were filled with the same vacancy he had seen his mother try to cover countless times. Draco swallowed hard; his curiosity now peaked. Armina had begun to jabber again and Draco brought his hand to her mouth to shut her up. There was a long awkward silence, and Draco could sense the fear brewing inside of Willow. His voice was soft and soothing as he spoke to her, his own eyes softening.

"You fell into dark magic didn't you? I can see it in your eyes. You practiced dark magics, and now your trying to redeem yourself."

Her eyes widened instantly; her mouth opening but failing to provide any words. Willow felt the world around her come to a screeching halt. How in the world did he figure it out? Was he some sort of Seer? Was he able to tap into her mind and read her most private thoughts? Her hands began to shake, but she was interrupted by the compartment door sliding open.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" A plump little lady questioned as she pushed the trolley through.

Lawrence's ears perked up at this but Draco cut him off. " No we don't need anything." Lawrences mouth dropped open and Draco shook his head.

"Alright then, best be ready to arrive in Hogsmeade soon." She smiled softly before moving towards the door and pushing into the next compartment.

Draco turned back to Willow. Her red hair hung around her face almost as if to block her from facing them. For some reason he felt for her. He had seen the tempting powers of the dark; he had been at the front lines almost tasting the power. Yet he had refused, and now he could see that she was trying to push it away as well.

"Its alright Willow. We've all lived with it. Our families are tied in with the dark. There's nothing to be ashamed of. You just need to look within yourself and find what it is your looking for. " Draco locked eyes with her but she quickly turned her face. Chewing lightly on her bottom lip she could feel her eyes begin to sting with heavy tears.

"I- " but she couldn't continue. Instead she closed her eyes.

Armina slapped Draco in the arm. She shook her head in a disapproving manner. Lawrence moved carefully from his seat and sat next to Willow. He didn't say anything; just draped his arm around her. Draco exchanged a nod with him, agreeing that nothing should be said at the moment. The rest of the train ride Willow sat with her eyes closed, the four Slytherins respecting her silence.

The train lurched as it pulled into Hogsmeade, and Willow rose slowly from her seat. Although Draco had tapped into something terrible inside of her she still found his words easing. Know she knew she wasn't alone in the battle against black magic. It seemed as though the four of them had each experienced it in one way or another. Before they had reached the town of Hogsmeade Armina had advised Willow to change into her robes. Without many words exchanged she changed and sat back down silently in her seat. In a way she was relieved to be stepping off the train.

Together the five of them emerged from the compartment and stepped out upon the long platform. Willows eyes adjusted to the large crowd of kids that seemed to fill the area. Smoothing down her robe nervously she watched as Draco and the others made their way towards a group of carriages. Not wanting to be alone she quickly moved towards them but jumped back as a large figure stepped in front of her.

"Willow Rosenberg? " The voiced thundered before her.

Her eyes slowly rose; taking in the large mass in front of her. Her eyes widened as she finally reached his face and she felt a gasp escape her. This surly was no man, he was too large.

"Y-y-ye-yes?" she trembled; wondering if she had already fell into some sort of trouble.

Surprisingly the man smiled through his massive bushy beard and held out his hand.

" Names Hagrid. Although your not really a first year you will be joining them across the lake and then to the sorting. Professor Dumbledore had instructed me to locate you and make sure you understood that."

Willow nodded and followed him as he gathered the first years together. Glancing over her shoulder she watched as Draco and his friends stepped inside one of the many carriages. Draco caught her staring and gave her a reassuring smile. Willow smiled weakly in return, and turned back to Hagrid. By now he had begun to lead the first years towards the boats. Willow watched and waited as they began to pile in. Each face a mixture of excitement and fear. Willow knew her face just showed utter nervousness.

After the last first year stepped into the boat Hagrid motioned towards her to step into his boat. With a sigh she moved quickly to the edge and carefully stepped aboard. Sitting down she noticed a few puzzling glances being shot at her, and she dropped her gaze down to her hands.

" Don't you worry Willow, everything will turn out just fine. " Hagrid offered her another smile, but turned his head when he saw she wasn't looking.

The boat rocked softly in the water as the image of Hogwarts came into view. Willow heard a few of the children gasp and she brought her eyes up to catch the image. Her own breath caught in her throat. The sight was captivating. The enormous castle glistened with candles and Willow smiled. If she had known this was what she was coming to she wouldn't have felt so down from the beginning. It was more beautiful then the pictures she had absorbed from the books. It was absolutely amazing. A low chuckle broke her concentration and she looked up at Hagrid.

" It is a sight isn't it." He nodded towards the castle and Willow agreed mutely.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Draco sat down next to Lawrence in the carriage and ran his hands across his forehead. His mind was pressed with thoughts of Willow as he stretched out slightly. Armina continued to jabber about her summer as they headed down the bumpy path towards Hogwarts. Draco had planned on telling them about his dream, but for some reason it seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind. Blaise kept shooting him puzzled looks and Draco answered him with a heavy roll of the eyes each time.

" What's your deal Draco? You've been eerily quiet this whole time?" Lawrence glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"There is no deal. Im just thinking. Don't press on my nerves Lawrence." A minute glare was shot back at Lawrence and Blaise rolled his eyes.

" Lets not start with the whole 'I'm tougher then you routine'. It's bad enough that last year you two had that stupid duel in the common room."

Lawrence huffed and sunk back into the seat. The trees whipped by as the carriage carried them closer to the castle, and finally Draco sat up and balled his fists.

" I had this dream last night. It didn't make much sense to me, but then again none of my dreams ever made much sense. " He rubbed his fingers on the bridge of his nose.

" You want to tell us about them Draco? " Armina leaned over and rubbed his arm in support.

" Do you all really want to listen?" He arched his eyebrow and looked between the group of them.

"Go ahead Draco, that's what we are here for." Armina smiled again and Draco took a deep breath.

"I had this dream I was running, " The three of them rolled their eyes but he stopped them from saying anything, " Look I know I dream about running all the time, but I assure you this is different. I was running through the forest, and suddenly the path split in two directions. Down one path was this horrid red light. The other path was blocked by this girl- " At this Blaise's eyes widened and he smirked. Draco groaned and shook his head. " No you twit it wasn't some sort of sexual dream. She was just standing there, beckoning me to reach her. It was really strange. "

"Sounds to me you were having one of those special boy dreams." Lawrence smirked; a chuckle rising from his throat.

" Sod off Lawrence. Anyway after the girl disappeared I found myself in front of Hagrids hut. Curiosity peaked and I knocked on his door. However he wasn't the person who I found inside. There was some strange guy waiting for me. The funny thing is, he knew things about me, and I think- I think that this guy was some form of the future me. He kept droning on and on about how I needed to remember my loyalties and change my future. He said something about the 'Powers that Be'. I've heard of them before, but I never thought they were real. The point is, this guy told me that my future can be changed, that I have the ability to change the outcome of my life. What does it all mean? Honestly I have no idea. " Finally pausing in his words he took in each of their expressions. They were just as he suspected they would be; utterly confused.

"Maybe it was just one of those odd dreams you've had before. Remember last year when you had that dream about Hogwarts catching fire? Nothing happened." Blaise propped his chin in his hand.

" Or maybe this dream meant a little bit more then that one, Blaise. I'm telling you, I have never before felt so strangely about a dream. It's like I was really there. "

"Well I think you should calm yourself down. A dream is nothing but a dream and until you dream it again, or until something really happens I think you can be considered safe." Blaise yawned and lazily glanced out the window.

Draco scowled and dropped his gaze to his hands. If they didn't want to listen then he would just forget about everything. Perhaps they were right anyway. Maybe his dream really didn't mean anything. A chill ran through his body and she shivered involuntarily. The soft image of the girl became clear in his mind. With a sigh he shook his head and groaned. Then again, maybe the dream really did mean exactly what he thought it did.

The carriage came to a harsh stop and the four snapped out of their dazed states. Draco was the first to step out and glance up at the large luminous school. A pang of sadness somehow crept inside of him and he realized that this would be the last year to take in such a sight. The first glimpse of Hogwarts after a long holiday break was always the most captivating. A heavy arm slung around his shoulder and he gave a sideways look to Blaise.

"We better hurry inside. Wouldn't want to miss the ceremony. See how many new Gryffindorks we can harass this year. " With a smirk Draco made his way inside with Blaise. Behind him he could hear Armina whispering excitedly about Willow and he rolled his eyes. Somehow he would find a way to mute that girl.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Willow carefully stepped out of the boat and gave Hagrid some room to move. The first years were chatting anxiously and it brought a small smile to her face. In closer perspective the castle looked old and classic. It was as though it was brought directly out of a fantasy book, rolling hills and all. Reaching into her robe she let her fingers play with her wand as she followed the group of kids through the large double doors leading inside.

Nodding a quick goodbye to Hagrid she let her eyes wander around and take in her surroundings. The school was cool and dark as they made their way up the large main flight of stairs. A thunderous chatter sounded in the distance and Willow assumed that it was the older students already inside. She wondered if Draco would let her sit with him once she was sorted into Slytherin. After all he might have a reputation to uphold and she might be the quirky girl to make him the laughing stock of his house. Reaching the top of the stairs with a huff a quick hush fell upon the students and Willow flicked her eyes to the woman standing at the head. She was tall, quite studious in an elderly sort of way. It was an eerie resemblance to Giles in a womanly sort of way and she couldn't help but giggle to herself. With a stern expression the woman folded her arms across her chest and peered down over her glasses. This only caused Willow to giggle more; that was a classic Giles action.

" I expect all of you are anxious to enter the Great Hall and begin your first year here at Hogwarts. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, teacher of Transfiguration and Head of Gryffindor house. However there are four houses you may be sorted into. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin…" A few murmurs spread through the group and McGonagall cleared her throat loudly in order to obtain their attention again. " Despite the houses you are sorted into, you are expected to treat everyone here with the utmost respect. Failure to do this will result in very strict discipline. Now if you just follow me, we will get you all sorted. " With a quick turn and a few short steps she pushed open the two large doors behind her and gestured for the students to enter.

Swallowing a large lump in her throat, Willow followed the group through the doors and into the room. Dozens of candles floated mid air creating a feeling of mysticism and fun. The ceiling, if she remembered from the book, was charmed to look like the night sky, and the starry heavens shone down upon her light a crown of diamonds. The sight captured her attention so much that she didn't even notice the strange looks the older students kept shooting her. It wasn't until they had reached the front of the room did she dare turn to glance around.

Four long tables stretched out across the room; each of them occupied by numerous students. The front of the room housed the teachers and a small stool with a tattered hat perched on top. They stared long and hard at the hat until a small slit appeared within the center. Surprisingly the hat seemed to smile at them, and then suddenly it began to sing.

"I see inside your head   
What others can not see  
I'll easily find the place you go  
Before you count to three

Ive done this more than fifty years

And although time has worn me thin

I know where you will do the best

Which house you should dwell in

You might do well in Gryffindor

Where bravery speaks the best

Or maybe dear old Hufflepuff

Loyalty high above the rest

Slytherin may be your call

If your cunning, sly and slick

Or finally in Ravenclaw

Where the mind is surely quick

Oh the possibilities are endless

And your anxiousness grows thick

So sit upon this stool and wait

So I can do my trick."

The room broke out into a loud applause and the slit on the hat slowly disappeared. There was a long moment of silence before McGonagall stepped forward and removed a long list from her robes. Picking the hat off the chair she turned to the first years and smiled softly.

"When I call your name please step forward. I will place the sorting hat on your head and once you have been placed you will take your seat with your new house members. " Willow shifted uncomfortably with the first years. " Abrams, Cynthia."

Willow watched as a petite dark haired girl approached the stool. Sitting down nervously McGonagall placed the hat on her head and they waited in silence. A long silence filled the room and the girls face became pale. Then suddenly, startling them all;

"Ravenclaw!" The hat spoke in a thunderous boom and then went silent again.

Willow felt her heart begin to pump nervously. It was bad enough to be the oldest and probably the most inexperienced witch here, but now to sit in front of a room and have everyone stare at her, judge her, it didn't help things at all. The list seemed to move by quickly. Various students being placed in each house, and the applause almost deafening as they took their seats.

"Vintorio, Alexi "

There was only a handful of first years left, and it caused her stomach to lurch. What if the hat didn't know where to place her? What if it felt she didn't belong and embarrassed her in front of the entire school? What if it knew what she had recently done and refused to place her? What if-

"Rosenberg, Willow "

A hush fell across the room and Willow felt all eyes turn to her. Mentally she cursed Giles. Slowly she moved towards the stool and sat down while folding her hands together on her lap. She looks out across the room and tried to focus on the hat and not anything else. Unfortunately she caught Armina's gaze and gave a weak smile as she winked at her. Draco had a tight, but genuine smile spread on his face and it eased her nervousness a tad. It felt like everything was going in slow motion as McGonagall placed the hat on her head. It was warm, and smelled musty and as it remained silent Willow felt her heart beat race furiously.

" Interesting, " a voice boomed inside her head causing her to jerk in her seat, " Your not the typical first year that I'm used to sorting. You're here for a different reason, yes, I can see it all in your head. Power, there is much of it coursing through your veins, and darkness, I can sense that too…"

If she tried to speak mentally to it, would it hear her? Chancing it she tried to defend herself.

"No, you don't understand. It was all a mistake. I never meant to hurt anyone. I was just- I loved her. She was my world and she was taken away. Cant you understand that? I'm trying to fix the wrong I committed. I want to be forgiven… I want to somehow forgive myself…." biting her lower lip she forced herself to remain calm. She didn't want anyone to know that some battered old hat was inflicting terrible memories.

" Redemption is a wonderful thing once you find it. But can you honestly believe that you have the strength to do it? Can you let go of all that power? You hold qualities I have seen before. Many years ago I met a man just like you. He was full of animosity, darkness and oozed with power. I think you would do exceedingly well in Slytherin, but you have something else that he didn't possess. You have the will to overcome the past and change the future. " The hat went silent for a long moment and Willow bit harder on her lip. Then a loud voice rang through the room and she gasped. " GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat went silent and the room exploded with applause from the Gryffindor table. Willow removed the hat and handed it back to McGonagall with a weak smile before moving towards her new table. Casting a sideways glance at the Slytherins she could slightly see the shocked expression on Dracos face. Did it really matter where she was placed? Dark magic or no dark magic she was still innocent Willow. They just didn't know her well enough. Sliding into an empty slot between a first year and another girl with fiery red hair she sighed. A chime from the front of the room caused the entire hall to hush and she watched as an old man stood from the center of the table. The image clicked inside of her head and she knew in an instant that he was Dumbledore.

"First, I would like to welcome you all back to another school year. I do hope that things this year will be much better than last as I recall a few of you skittering around the rules yet again. " Looking over his glasses, Willow followed his gaze to a boy with tousled black hair and glasses.

"Harry Potter…" she thought, recalling the entry from the encyclopedia. A chill ran through her body as the story of his life settled down into her head.

" I do know many of your parents considered keeping you home this term. The rise of the dark power is settling down heavily on their minds, and I do not blame them for being concerned. Yet I assure you that here at Hogwarts you are completely safe. Now for all first years, there is a few rules that we abide by. You may not enter the forest at any time, the third floor corridor is completely forbidden to all, and unless given permission by a teacher or a house prefect, you may not walk the corridors at night. Failure to comply with these rules and any other I have failed to mention, will grant you a dismal detention. Now, with all of that settled, let the feast begin."

"Excuse me, but could you please pass me that basket of rolls?" A voice to her right sounded in her ear. Willow grabbed the basket of rolls and smiled at the girl with the red hair. She smiled as the girl took the basket and shoved a roll into her mouth.

" Showry…" she said, the rolls still shoved in her mouth. Swallowing the lump of bread she extended her hand. " Ginny Weasley. Sixth year. Nice to meet you Willow Rosenberg. "

"How did you know my name? " Her voice faltering as she spoke.

"Well they did just announce it in front of the entire school."

"Oh, that's right. Sorry, I'm just a little nervous about this whole school thing. I'm not used to learning magic as an actual class." Blushing a shade of red she looked down at her hands.

"Its not that bad. In fact it can be quite fun if you take your studies seriously. Just make sure you stay on the good side of your Professors. Most of them are fair except for Snape. He has this thing against Gryffindors and usually finds some way to make them feel utterly stupid. " Ginny grinned and took another bite of her roll.

"Hey Gin, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" A voice sounded behind Ginny and Willow craned her neck to get a better look.

"Oh right, of course. Willow, this is my brother Ron. He's a seventh year and most likely will be in most of your classes." She gestured to the boy beside her.

"Good to meet you Willow. If you want I could show you- "

"And this is Hermione Granger." Ginny smirked, cutting Ron off before he could finish his words.

Willow smiled over at the girl with the bushy brown hair. " Nice to meet you Willow. If you have any problems at all catching up on your school work, don't hesitate to ask. I really do make a wonderful tutor."

"Yes, Hermione is top of the class." Ginny grinned and finally nodded towards Harry. " And this is-"

With a smile Willow extended her hand towards Harry. " Harry Potter…I know. Despite my slim knowledge of your world, I did manage to read up on a few things. You were one of them."

Harry's face turned red at her words and he quickly looked down at his plate. A long awkward silence grew between them and Willow wondered if she should have kept her mouth shut. Sensing her concern Ginny whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry much about Harry. He's just having a rough time with the rise of You-Know-Who and all."

Willow nodded mutely and grabbed her mug. Taking a quick swig she sighed and placed it back down on the table. A yawn rose from inside of her and she covered her mouth casually with her hand. The long day had finally begun to take a toll on her and she dropped her chin into her hand.

"Ms. Rosenberg?" Willow sat up and looked over her shoulder. McGonagall looked down at her and handed her a long piece of parchment. " Schedules are usually not handed out until tomorrow at breakfast, but I wanted you to become accustomed to the tight schedule you will have. As you can see you will be attending all the normal classes a seventh year would attend, but you will also be expected to attend private study courses with each Professor. For example, as you can see on Monday evenings you will attend a session of Transfiguration with myself. The sessions will only last an hour, and you will be granted permission to walk the corridors at night, to and from class. Also, we have decided that it would be easier for you to become acquainted with the school if you were placed in a room with only one other individual. Since Ms. Granger is the new Head Girl we can not bunk you with her. Our plans were to put you with Ms. Lavender Brown, but she has made it abundantly clear she will not leave Ms. Patil behind. With that idea tossed aside we have decided you will be bunking with Ms. Wealsey. " Giving a slight nod to Ginny, McGonagall turned back to Willow. "Both of you will find your belongings situated in your own private dorm in the last room of the girls wing. With that said and done you may finish your meal and then head to your rooms. " Turning quickly she headed back to the teachers table, her robes billowing behind her.

"Well that's great Willow! It will be nice to have a dorm only for us. Believe me sharing a room with five other girls just isn't fun anymore." Ginny grinned and drank the last of her juice.

"It sounds great." Willow forced a weak smile to her face. It wasn't that she didn't like Ginny. The girl was utterly sweet. It was just these strange feelings that kept overwhelming her, and she decided that the only way they would stop would be in her sleep. She needed to get some rest. Then again, she wasn't sure if her dreams would even let her sleep at all.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Draco stared dumbfounded as Willow made her way over to the Gryffindor table. It didn't make sense to him at all. Everything about her screamed Slytherin, right down to the fact that she had even been involved with dark magics. What did that hat see that he didn't? He shook his head with a sneer and turned to Armina whom looked just as shocked as he did. He didn't need to say anything to her. He knew she felt the same way. Any other time he would have cared less about someone being sorted into that crummy house, but a knot in his stomach tugged at his senses. Willow was completely different from anyone else he had encountered. Of course he only knew her for the short train ride, but he could sense these things. There was something about her he couldn't put his finger on. Something that bored into his skin and caused a chill to run through his spine. He went through the slim facts he knew slowly.

First of all she was well beyond the age of any other student there. She was at least 22 and had no official magic training in her. Second she was from the United States, and obviously sent here for a serious reason. Why on earth would she be sent here for any other reason then that? Finally, she had silently admitted to testing the power of the dark. Something no Gryffindor was known for. It just didn't pan out correctly.

"You alright Draco?" Blaise placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Fine, just a bit confused." Running his hand across his face he gulped down the last of his butterbeer.

"The whole Willow is a Gryffindor thing is bugging you isn't it?" He arched his eyebrow and removed his hand.

"I don't know Blaise. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I don't even know why I care so much, but I do. There's more to that girl than she led us to believe. I know there is something going on, but I cant figure out what it is. "

"Well you better get over it. She's a Gryffindork now, and no longer a potential friend.

Sometimes our judgment of people can be mistaken. We have bigger things to worry about than fussing over a girl who we know nothing about. " Blaise leaned in closer and Draco could feel his hot breath stinging on the back of his neck. " We need to figure out how to avoid our initiations this year. You know that, I know that, and so do Lawrence and Armina. This is what we have been planning for a year, and we cant lose sight of our priorities over some silly girl. "

Draco sighed and nodded slowly. Blaise was right. Lawrences seventeenth birthday was the first to come, and they still had no plan on how he would be avoiding his initiation.

"Your right Blaise. In fact…" He looked over at Armina and Lawrence and leaned into the table in a hushed tone. " We will have a meeting tomorrow. We don't have much time before

Lawrence gets an owl from home. We will discuss possible options, and hopefully something will strike us as an intelligent idea. " Pulling back from the table he exchanged a nod with the others. " Until then, I'm heading up to bed. I'll see you all in the morning."

Rising from the table he looked over at Willow who seemed to be in conversation with the youngest weasel. Maybe Blaise was right. She was a Gryffindor now. No reason for him to worry about her anymore. Striding over to the large doors he flickered his eyes over to her once more. The same stubborn knot crept into his stomach again and he cursed quietly to himself. If she meant absolutely nothing, then why in bloody hell was he having problems shaking this feeling?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking through the long corridors Willow watched as the paintings on the walls sprang to life. It truly was an amazing sight, and for the first time throughout the day she felt a bit more relaxed. Ginny had taken the liberty of walking her to the common room. She explained how the staircases moved, and how Mr. Filtch seemed to lurk everywhere when no one expected it. Willow nodded casually as they walked, her thoughts focusing more on the marvelous school rather then the conversation. Once or twice Ginny asked if she was ok and Willow replied with a soft 'yes'.

Climbing up another staircase, Ginny pointed to a large portrait of a heavy set woman. Muttering something about the common room entrance Willow followed her silently. Upon approaching, the portrait looked down at them, and in a monotone voice she spoke.

"Password?"

"Witch Weekly." Ginny rolled her eyes at Willow and they slipped through the door as the portrait swung open. " Lavender is the house Prefect. How she got there, I'll never know, but every time you want to enter the common room you need to say that password."

Nodding again Willow stepped into a large crimson room filled with chatter. There were students everywhere and most of them fell a bit silent as Willow stepped further inside.

"Don't mind them, " Ginny whispered, " They tend to be a nosey bunch. Come on, follow me."

Willow wasted no time in following Ginny up the staircase to the girls dormitory. She watched as a group of younger girls giggled and pushed inside their room. Another set of girls, obviously older then the other group, just rolled their eyes and pushed inside another door. The number on their door read six, and Willow figured they must be the sixth year girls.

Ginny sighed as they walked by the door. " That was my old room. Honestly, you couldn't have chosen a better time to come here. I really didn't get along with that lot."

At the very end of the hall Ginny stopped and smiled. Turning the doorknob she entered, Willow directly on her heels. The room was large, and brightly lit by a few lanterns and a small fireplace. Two four-post beds sat on either side of the room and were dressed in red and gold sheets and blankets. There was a large window directly across from the door and Willow smiled as she saw a window seat underneath it.

"I always wanted a window seat." She smiled again and moved towards the bed where her belongings waited for her.

They both unpacked their clothes and other possessions in silence. Willow finishing with her things a bit quicker than Ginny. Sitting down on the edge of her bed she took in the rest of the room. There was a small bathroom adjacent to Ginnys bed. A rather large vanity mirror and table sat in the far corner. It was a nice room, a lot nicer than the room she had shared with Buffy back in college. The thought of Buffy brought a slight frown to her face and she sighed. What were they doing right now? Probably out patrolling or researching some hell-beastie.

"Miss home?"

Willow snapped back to attention and glanced over at Ginny. She was now sitting on the edge of her bed as well.

"It's just strange being here. I'm not used to any of this. For six years I've studied magic on my own, and now I'm forced to take classes on it. I don't deserve to be here. " There was a waver in her voice and she swallowed hard hoping that Ginny didn't notice.

Ginny averted her gaze from Willow and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Not wanting to step on sketchy grounds she chose her words carefully.

"How can you say you don't deserve to be here? What happened that you could think that?"

A long uncomfortable silence rose in the room. Willow kicked her shoes off and stretched out on her bed without a word. What was she supposed to say? Oh, I was a murderer, and if I didn't come here they were going to throw me in Azkaban? It was more then likely that Ginny would run for the hills. Instead Willow pulled the blankets up to her chin and shook her head.

"People like me don't deserve second chances. The things I have done were things that make my blood turn to ice. Despite what I may look like on the outside Ginny…inside I am nothing." With a quick flick of her wrist the curtains around her bed closed.

Ginny's mouth dropped open at the sight and for a long while she sat motionless on her bed. The most she could do was stare at the curtains of Willows bed and wonder who exactly Willow Rosenberg really was.

PLEASE REVIEW KIDDIES!!!


	3. A Dream

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept. I do not own any Buffy stuff either, cause if I did I wouldn't have ended it at season 7.   
  
**Notes**: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at Ladymioneaol.com.   
  
**Quick Summary**: _He_ was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. _She_ was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.

**Chapter 3- A Dream**

Darkness. It surrounded him from every angle and he quickly ran down the long endless corridor. His heels thudded heavily on the cold tile floor and he skidded to a halt at an approaching staircase. He recognized the staircase immediately. It was the left wing of the manor; it was where his fathers study was located. Gradually making his way up the staircase; his heart beat with a fierce intensity. Something was forcing him to climb the stairs. Something wanted him to go to his fathers study.

The hallway was quiet and he leaned his head against the solid door. He waited. There was nothing. Taking a breath he pushed the door open and glanced around the vacant room. What was drawing him to this room? Why was he feeling such a force surrounding him? Moving towards his fathers desk he lifted his fingers to the stone around his neck. Usually he didn't listen to the words of his father, but something about the tone of his voice caused Draco to keep the stone around his neck. He would research it when he had a bit more time on his hands. At the moment he was more concerned about the current situation taking place in his dream.

Dragging his hand along the desk he ruffled some papers out of place. Most of them were scribbled on with bits of words and information regarding upcoming Death Eater meetings. Shrugging it aside he shuffled through a few more papers and his eyes stopped on a torn out piece of parchment.

"No…" He brought the parchment closer to his face and his eyes narrowed at the single word. Willow.

A high pitched scream rang through the castle and Draco dropped the parchment from his hand. Covering his ears he sprinted from the room and headed in the direction of the scream. He jogged down the steps two at a time, the palms of his hands pressed firmly against his ears. Rounding the final spiral of the staircase he came to a quick stop as he reached the main entrance of the manor. She was standing before him yet again. Her dark hair blowing around her as though is was going to swallow her whole, and yet despite the terror in his heart and the fear in her screaming he couldn't help the attraction he felt. Draco's words caught in his throat. Who was this girl?

"Excuse me…do I know you?" The girl turned towards him and he could barely make out the features of her face. Regardless of her blurry appearance, he couldn't deny the fact that she seemed beautiful. Stepping down another step he reached out to her. A bright green light began to rise behind her and she smiled softly. Although he couldn't hear her voice he could distinctly make out the words that trailed from her lips.

" I love you Draco…I really do…" and then suddenly, as the green light shadowed down around her, she vanished.

"Not again!" Draco moved down the last few steps and ran his hand through the now vacant air.

"Come on Draco, we need to get down to breakfast." Shooting upright in his bed Draco came face to face with Lawrence.

"Where is she?" Draco's eyes darted madly about the room and he jumped quickly from his bed.

"Where's who? " Blaise pulled a sweater over his white tee-shirt and looked over his shoulder. " If your talking about Mia, she's in her own dormitory. You know, the girls dormitory." Blaise shook his head with a laugh.

"No you idiots. " He quickly ran to his bathroom and turned the icy water on in the sink.

Plunging his face down into the cold water he tried to suppress the thoughts of that girl. She had been in his dreams yet again, and this time he could have sworn she said she loved him. It just didn't make any sense. Pulling back from the water he studied his face in the mirror. Water dripped down his chin and landed on his chest creating a dark wet stain on his gray shirt.

"You alright Draco?" Blaise stuck his head around the doorframe.

"I'll be fine." The vacant tone in his voice gave him away.

"Yeah right, you look like shit." Walking in the room Blaise sat down on the toilet and laughed.

"Geez, thanks mate." Reaching for a towel Draco wiped his face and returned to the main room. "I just don't understand it. This is the second time I've dreamt about this girl, the second time that she has vanished before me, and you know what I'm thinking….."

Blaise raised his eyebrow.

"I'm thinking I sound like a bloody fool!"

"Maybe this girl in your dream represents some girl around here whom your attracted to." Lawrence chuckled and pulled on his shoes.

"Oh yeah genius, like who?"

"Granger?"

"SOD OFF!"

"You really need to let go of this Draco. You're just going to drive yourself mad with these foolish dreams of yours." The sensible words came from Blaise. "But maybe Lawrence is right. Maybe this girl in the dream represents someone you care about…"

"Look, I don't care about anyone, or anything unless it involves us. Still, " He began, shedding himself of his night clothes. Rummaging through his drawers he pulled out one of his uniforms, " Still I feel like this dream girl has this unspeakable connection with me."

"Draco you have had unspeakable connections to three quarters of the girls in this school." Combing through his hair once Blaise reached for his tie and wrapped it around his neck.

"Bite it, Blaise." Glaring at his friend Draco stood in front of the mirror. Slicking his hair back out of his face he reached for his books and sighed.

There was so much more that he wanted to tell his friends but at the rate this conversation was going he figured they wouldn't listen. They were too busy poking fun and getting a chuckle out at his own expense. So instead he focused back on his dream. There was something else about it that was eating away at him The scrap of paper with Willow's name scribbled upon it. What in the world would his father want with a lousy Gryffindor?

'She's not such an ordinary Gryffindor I suppose.' He shook his head and followed Blaise and Lawrence out of the dormitory.

The Slytherin trio paused for only a few minutes as they waited for Armina. Lawrence and Blaise were arguing quietly over some stupid Transfiguration answer, and Draco, too stressed to join the argument let his mind wander off into space.

Willow was just like they were. Someone who had once been compelled by the dark and was now trying to redeem themselves by doing what was right. Or was she? To be honest he didn't know much about her or where she came from. Sure she was from America, and her knowledge of the wizarding world was bleak, but something about her was still sketchy. After all she hadn't attended any schooling until now which didn't make much sense at all. It would certainly put a rut in his status, but he figured all he really need to do was ask. Although sitting down at the Gryffindor table with Potty and gang didn't settle too well in his stomach.

"A plan" He smirked and smiled over at Amira who had emerged from the girls dormitory. Still enthralled in his own world he mutely followed the lot of them out of the dungeons and the long flight of steps towards the Great Hall. _"I'll devise a fool proof plan so we can meet alone."_

"Draco?"

His smirk grew wider as they rounded the staircase and crossed to the large double doors that led into the hall. He could smell breakfast from where he was walking, and his stomach grumbled with hunger.

"Draco?"

Snapping out of his daydreams he cocked his head to the side and arched his eyebrows at Armina. She had closed any distance that was between them, and was now walking uncomfortably close to him. He was fond of Mia, but not that fond, and he could see the jealous steam rise from Blaise's head.

"What Mia?" He didn't mean to snap at her, but she had interrupted his thinking which was probably more important then anything she was going to say.

Startled by his tone she gave him a once over with her eyes before rolling them. Dropping her voice to a mere whisper she leaned in towards his ear and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Look Draco, I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop jumping down my throat every time you're in a bad mood. First of all I didn't do anything, and second…well, what I have to say is important!" Her voice rose slightly at the end of this sentence but she dropped it quickly again, " I need you to distract Blaise for the evening. Make sure he doesn't bother to come see me, or find out where I am…I have- " Her eyes shifted uncomfortably to her shoes," I have…um, a date, yes a date. You know how he gets Draco. I don't want him to ruin it for me. Please promise to help me."

She was right about that. Last time Armina had tried to go out with Jackson Caulfield of Ravenclaw, Blaise had taken the liberty of breaking Caulfield's nose. Blaise knew very well that Armina considered him nothing more then a friend, but time and time again the poor bloke couldn't help by try and fight for the woman he loved. Though she returned no similar feelings.

"Mia," his voice was hushed, "I'll do the best I can, but I can't make any promises. If it comes down to me lying to Blaise I'm going to have to give in. You know I can't lie to him."

"I know."

Shaking his head with a sigh he ushered her through the doors of the Great Hall, " Just be as discrete about it as possible. I'll try and challenge him to a game of wizards chess, or decapitating hangman."

Smiling lightly as she slipped into her seat at the Slytherin table, Mia let out a breath of relief. " Thanks Draco. I'll owe you one."

"You certainly will." Draco placed his elbow on the table and flickered his eyes at the arrangement of breakfast foods.

He had lost most of his appetite this morning when he awoke from that blasted dream, and although his stomach rumbled with hunger the idea of stuffing himself full of eggs and pancakes made his stomach churn. Juice would have to suffice. Reaching across Blaise, and accidentally knocking a container of oatmeal over, Draco poured himself a mug of fresh orange juice. A couple of younger students flashed him some odd looks but he disregarded them and continued sipping at his drink.

Across the hall at the Gryffindor table, Draco watched the youngest Weasel chat casually with Willow. Willow, though she looked like she slept well, sat there with her chin propped up by her hands. She too wasn't eating anything, and Draco wished he could just walk over there and ask her for some time to talk. Still that meant encountering the fabulous three, and the idea lost all its merit.

"Granger's giving you the evil eye.." Lawrence stammered through a mouthful of toast.

He was right. Draco turned his attention slightly to the left and there was Granger scowling at him from across the room. He watched her lean over and whisper something to the rest of them, and the entire lot, including Willow turned their eyes in his direction. Not knowing whether to turn his attention away quickly, or offering Willow a nod, he did the only thing that was natural when it came to the Gryffindorks. He stuck up his middle finger and then turned his attention back to his mug of juice.

He really needed a good plan.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"He is such an immature git!" Hermione grabbed another muffin before slamming her free hand down on the table.

Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas jumped as she did this, and moved themselves a bit further down the table. Ginny gave them both a smile and shook her head, but Hermione was ultimately right. Malfoy was the biggest git in the entire school. No, scratch that, the entire world!

"He- well- he didn't seem so bad when I was with him on the train." Willow had lifted her chin from her hands when Draco flashed them the finger. True, she too was initially shocked when Draco had done it, but it was obvious there was tension between these two groups. What it stemmed from, well she was sure she would find out in time.

"Not that bad!?" Nearly choking on a piece of bacon, Ron scrunched his brows. " Malfoy is a bleeding arse, a piece of down right-" But Hermione had slapped him in the side of the head before he could continue.

Taking a swig of his juice, Harry cocked his head towards Draco, "He did the same thing to me when I first met him, Willow. He thought that I'd like to join up with him and his idiot friends, and for a moment I almost went with it, but once you hang around him long enough you realize he is a pompous arse whose only after a spot next to Voldemort."

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" Ron hissed through his clenched teeth.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah whatever…"

For a second Willow considered this. On the train Draco and his friends had been super nice to her. They had disregarded the fact that she had involved herself in dark magic, and in fact they admitted to being sucked into it at one time as well. There was a knot inside her stomach that urged her to tell them that, but something about the way Draco had expressed it caused her to keeps her lips sealed. Besides, it wasn't anyone's business what they had told her, and in all she had found Draco quite interesting to be around.

"I'm sure he's not as awful as you guys think he is. I mean he was really, genuinely nice to me in that compartment. He could have kicked me out, but he let me stay. Maybe you guys just haven't given him a chance. There is a lot more beneath the skin of a person then they sometimes want you to know." Which was completely true in her case.

"The only thing beneath Malfoy's skin is ice and blackness" Ginny chimed in.

Willow felt her expression falter just a smidge. If they had known the things she had done they would surely ban her from the table. Certainly if she was in their position she wouldn't want to hang around a murderer either. Her secret had to remain just that. No one could ever find out the things she had done. Placing her chin back in the palm of her hand Willow snuck a quick glimpse over towards Draco again. He seemed to be caught up in some sort of conversation with Blaise, and the smile on his face was a kind and welcoming as it was on the train.

'They have to be wrong about him. They just have to be…'

"Come on Willow," Being pulled from her thoughts Willow looked up at Hermione. " We have Charms class now, and then a fun filled double Potions class."

"Sounds great." Struggling to get the words out Willow rose from the long Gryffindor table and snuck one more peek over towards Draco. This time his own gaze caught her own but before she could do anything Hermione grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the exit.

"I do hope Professor Flitwick accepts my holiday homework. I could barely squeeze four rolls of parchment out of the topic." Hermione had her hand clasped firmly around Willow's wrist as they exited the Great Hall.

"Hermione, the essay was only supposed to be two rolls of parchment. How can you wonder if he will except it? Flitwick will squeak with joy when you hand that in." Ron huffed as he tried to keep up with a rushing Hermione.

" I should only hope so Ron. Do you know what the consequences would be for the Head Girl to receive a failing mark?"

"You'd loose your library privileges?" He grinned, shooting a look over to a chuckling Harry.

"You're an absolute riot."

Weaving through the hallways Willow tried to take in everything as much as she possibly could. Between moving staircases, portraits that waved and smiled, and the occasional ghost that would float through the wall, Willow was completely mesmerized. For once she was surrounded by people who shared the same sort of talent as she did. It was a feeling that she couldn't possibly explain, but deep inside she owed Giles everything for believing in her. If he hadn't pushed her to come here she would have graciously accepted that ticket to Azkaban in a second.

"I didn't know this place so big." Willow breathed as she was tugged up another staircase by Hermione.

"I know…quite overwhelming. We will give you a tour right after classes." Pulling Willow a bit harder Hermione barely gave a glance over her shoulder as she spoke.

"Don't mind Hermione, Willow." Ron began, " She gets a little jumpy if she's going to be late for class."

"Shut up Ron"

Continuing through the corridor, and climbing a few more staircases at a ridiculous speed, Willow took a deep breath. Though she had been studying her own magic for so long the thought of being taught by an actual wizard was exciting. Her wand was tucked carefully in the pocket of her robe, and she gave it a feel with her free hand. True, she thought the idea of using a wand was a bit silly, she found the whole world more captivating then she could have ever imagined.

"Ouch." A sudden pain sprang through her toe.

With all of her daydreaming she hadn't realized they arrived at the classroom door, and her klutziness had caused her to bang her toe into a very large, very stone statue right outside the door. Cursing mildly to herself Willow followed the three into the Charms classroom. Up front a tiny little man grinned madly on top of a large stack of books. Most of the seats in the room were taken and Willow shuffled after Harry and dropped into the seat next to him. It was almost routine how everyone removed their wands and organized their books perfectly on their desks. It was obvious they had been doing this for years, and Willow watched with careful eye as she copied everything they did. She was so engrossed in her own organizing that she had barely noticed Draco and his friend waltz through the door to the Charms classroom.

"And now that we are all present and accounted for we can begin our last year together at Hogwarts." Professor Flitwick clasped his hands together with glee as her smiled down at his students. "The summer holiday has surely gone fast, and I promise this year will be out very best Charms year yet, but, " He stepped down from his stack of books and shuffled across the room in Willow's direction, " we have a very special addition to our class this year. Please welcome Willow Rosenberg from the United States. Willow I offer any assistance you might need to catch up with our work, and I'm sure many of our classmates here will offer you the same assistance if its needed. So now…please open your text to page 473 so we can begin our discussion on weather charms."

"Weather charms?" Willow arched her eyebrow at Harry.

"I know, they do seem rather boring but Flitwick just wants us to learn the basics. Though towards the end of last year he taught us a wicked locating charm." Lifting his wand Harry mimicked the wand movements for the wind charms Flitwick had just demonstrated.

Willow smirked. It wasn't as though she felt superior to this sort of stuff, but she had learned how to use a locater charm almost two years ago, and she didn't need a magic stick to help her get through the charm. The idea, though she hadn't meant it, struck her super funny, and she giggled rather loudly.

"Something humorous Ms. Rosenberg?" Flitwick craned his neck in her direction.

Startled to be spoken to in class, Willow shook her head violently," Oh…no sir. Nothing funny at all."

"You have much to catch up on Ms. Rosenberg. Slacking off will not help that situation." He gave a nod before turning back towards Neville Longbottom.

For a moment Willow felt utterly guilty. Here these people were trying to help her redeem all the darkness inside of her and she had the nerve to mock their culture. It was sick! It was sad! However it was hopelessly true. It was ridiculous that they had to use wands, and when that notion settled down on her Willow rolled her eyes for the very first time at a Professor.

Hell it they wanted to teach her the correct ways to do magic then maybe they should have extended a letter to her when she was eleven years old. Maybe then she wouldn't be in this predicament. Suddenly all the excitement for learning escaped her, and she busied herself by watching Harry, and some other students practice the silly charm.

A beastly looking girl from across the room, Millicent Bullstrode, kept conjuring a rain cloud instead of wind. The rain poured relentlessly over the girl and Willow bit her lower lip to keep from laughing again.

"Ms. Rosenberg have you already perfected your weather charm already?" Flitwick scurried across the room towards Willow.

"Oh-well- you see…."Stammering over her own words the heat in her cheeks rose furiously.

"Don't be afraid Ms. Rosenberg, give it a try at least."

"Uh-er- um…all right…"

With a half hearted smile Willow picked up her wand tentatively. One wrong swish and she'd be likely to start a thunderstorm right in the middle of the classroom. All eyes were focused on her and she silently wished that Xander was at her side to ease her nerves with a stupid little joke.

Taking a deep breath she quickly muttered the charm and swished her wand diagonally down to the left. Shutting one eyes she waited with baited breath for the outcome of the charm she had just performed.

Nothing.

Nothing at all happened, and oddly enough she was relieved. "I'm sorry Professor I-" but a clap of thunder cut her off and everyone's eyes shifted over towards Harry.

A small cloud loomed over Harry's head and before Flitwick could charm it away it opened up and down poured over Harry's head.

Silence.

Then suddenly a tremendous roar of laughter erupted from the Slytherin side of the classroom. Willow felt her face turn a deeper shade of crimson, and as she glanced at the Slytherins, she finally noticed Draco among them .He held his stomach in laughter, occasionally wiping a tear from his eye. Mortified be what she had done, Willow slowly placed her wand back down on the table before shaking her head in shame.

"Here Here to Willow for making our first class back a dripping success." Draco managed to get out through his shaking laughter.

Muttering the counter charm, Flitwick held up his hand in order to calm down the class. " Please control your laughter. Mr. Malfoy quiet."

"Oh come on sir, Potter loves the attention. Lets not rain on his parade." Draco coughed up another laugh which also caused the other Slytherins to erupt in laughter.

Ron stood from his chair, his face flushed in anger, " Shut up Malfoy."

"I'm shaking Weasley."

"Enough boys." Flitwick tried to squeak above the bickering.

Between the laughing, the yelling, her mistake, and the obvious hatred Draco held for Harry, Willow felt her fingers ball into a fist. There was a flicker in her eyes that only one individual caught sight of, but in a blink of an eye the dark cloud that had opened over Harry formed above the head of the Slytherins. In an instant the clouds burst open cutting off the laughter. A few girls screamed. Pansy Parkinson tried to run out of the way but a smaller cloud just followed her in circles. Draco on the other hand exchanged a curse or two with Blaise before the charm was once again broken by Flitiwck.

"My my my…what an interesting class today. "With a sigh he looked between the faces of the Slytherins and Gryffindors. "Since we didn't progress as far as I would have liked today, please write one roll of parchment on weather charms for next class. Oh and before you go please hand in your summer assignment. Good day class."

Rising from their seats Ron held his stomach. "Did you see Malfoys face? I thought he was going to die…which when you think about it would be an extra perk."

"Ron…" Flashing him a stern look Hermione waltzed up front and handed in her summer assignment.

Willow gathered her things together as the three handed in their assignments. She knew she had caused that freak storm to rain down on the Slytherins. She felt the anger grow as they laughed at her stupidity. Once again she had lost control and once again she felt herself sink lower in despair. At this rate she would never be able to redeem herself.

"Harry, I'm so sorry." Willow began as Harry approached her.

Flitwick had performed a quick drying spell when he had turned in his work, but the tips of his messy hair were still wet. "Don't worry about it Willow. I've been through a lot worse. I do believe I can tackle a little bit of rain." He smiled.

"Good…that's good. Relief off my back." She grinned nodding to Ron and Hermione as they joined Harry's side.

"Well maybe the excitement of this class will balance out the hell mouth we are about to enter." Ron jammed his hands into his pockets.

"Hellmouth?" Willow's eyes widened in confusion. There was a hell mouth here? In school?

"Snapes room…it's like walking into the mouth of hell." Harry explained, ushering Willow out of the charms room.

No one had noticed the flash of anger in her eyes when the storm clouds burst open. No one noticed that she had done it all without the use of a wand. He noticed, but no one had noticed him while he watched it unfold from the doorway. She would prove to be a challenge. He liked a good challenge. With a swish of his robes, Severus Snape turned on his heel and headed for the dungeons. Class would be in session soon, and the more time he had to harass Potter the better his day would turn out to be.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was a fear lingering in the air of the dungeon that brought a satisfied smile to the face of Draco Malfoy. It was positively exhilarating when he watched the terror grow on the faces of the Gryffindors. Potions had always been his favorite class solely for this reason. He didn't have to be the smartest, he didn't have to be the quickest, hell he barely had to lift a finger in the class.

"Check her out." Lawrence elbowed Draco in the side. "She's in for a rude awakening once Snape gets here. Thinks she's got it made joining the Potter Patrol." Lawrence sneered.

Draco cast a sideways look at Willow whom had taken her seat next to Harry again. What did she see in that little bugger anyway? Yet another reason he needed to get her alone. The more time she spent with Potter, the more likely she'd be prone to hate him. He needed to justify his actions though he couldn't understand why he even cared. As far as he was concerned she should mean squat to him now, but he just couldn't let that be.

"What are you staring at Malfoy? " Ron narrowed his eyes from the far side of the room.

"Control him Granger, we wouldn't want anything unpleasant happening after class today." Lawrence gripped his quill so tightly that it snapped clear into two.

"Cant you fight your own wars Malfoy? Now you got your minions speaking for you. Pathetic." Hermione spoke so firmly that even when Snape silenced her as he walked in she held her stare with Draco.

"Filthy Mudblood." He mouthed to her, before turning towards the front of the classroom.

"Quiet! There will be absolutely no talking unless I ask for it." He swished his robe, and turned with a ballerina like elegance on his heel facing the class. " I see we have a new addition to this class. Another Gryffindor…" The words rolled from his lips with such resentment that Draco smirked again.

"Ye-ye-yes, sir." Scared wasn't even a word to describe the look of fright on Willows face. Petrified would be a good word. Yes, petrified would do well.

"Ms. Rosenberg, did you not hear what I had said no more then three minutes ago? There is no talking in this class unless I address you first." Snape advanced on her, his robe billowing behind him. " But….since you think you can defy simple rules that everyone else must follow, you can begin todays lesson by telling me the three simple steps for a hair growth potion."

"I don't know sir."

"Do you know how long it takes to brew a week lasting glamour potion?" Or a headache relieving potion?" Do you know any of this?"

He felt a twinge of grief for her knowing just how intimidating Snape could be to the average new person. The twinge was quickly replaced by pain as Lawrence elbowed him once again.

"This is great, isn't it mate?" He chuckled under his breath and turned his attention back to Willow.

Draco on the other hand rubbed his side while Snape ripped into the redheaded witch a little longer. Sometimes he really was a miserable greasy old man.

"I do not sir."

"Then I suggest you remember not to dismiss my simple rules anymore. The next time you do will result in a deduction of points followed by a grueling detention."

Draco fiddled with his quill while Snape began the days lecture. It was pointless for him to pay attention to what he was saying. After all he could purposely put down all the wrong answers on an exam and he'd still find his grade exceptionally higher then half of the class. He scratched the tip of his quill along some parchment, doodling a couple of lines while sneaking peaks over towards Willow.

"I hate partner work." Lawrence's voice sounded beside him.

"Huh?" He snapped out of his doodling and turned slightly towards Lawrence.

"Partner work…it sucks." he nodded towards Snape who had started to pair them up with other members of the class.

"Potter, Germaine," Draco and Lawrence turned towards Armina whose faced flushed with instant anger. They laughed. " Granger, Thomas and finally Rosenberg and Malfoy." Draco's laughing had been replaced by a nervous gulp of air. This was it, this was his chance to apologize. Or at least a chance to get her alone.

"Move with your partners and gather your ingredients for the Disappearing Potion. It should turn a thick blue when complete. If you should fail to meet this color then prepare to test the potion on yourself." Snape snapped his eyes towards Neville Longbottom and Parvati Patil.

Draco sighed, removed his robe and proceeded to roll up his sleeves. He gave a curt nod to Willow as she sat down next to him, but he barely had the courage to say anything to her. He could already tell she was angry with him. After all he had been kind to her on the train, and then terrible after she was sorted. Truth be told he didn't blame her for being angry. Who would want to forgive a cold, heartless, Slytherin when a bunch of goody goody Gryffindors filled her head with the blackest thoughts of him.

"Look." they both stated at the same time.

"You first" Draco ushered her to tell what was on her mind. It was the gentlemanly thing to do.

Willow swallowed." Look obviously I misjudged you on the train. You offered me reassurance when I thought no one else would, but I-"

"Here cut up this root so we look busy." He reached for two roots and gave her one.

"Thanks…anyway," She began slicing the root." After today I realized I was wrong about a lot of things. Its obvious that you don't share the same interest in me anymore. Whether it be the house I was sorted into, my new friends….whatever it is, I don't need it. I hate to be mean, rude, I hate for you to think I am an awful person, but I don't need to deal with this immaturity now. Definitely not now."

"But you think Potter and gang is a virtue of innocence and friendship? Are you blind to the way him and his friends treat me? I think your living a hypocritical fantasy Willow. You don't understand-"

"No, you don't understand. I don't want an apology, I don't want pity. Just forget we ever met on that train. " He watched her cut up the root with such fury that they were far to small to use in the potion. Ok, so he had tried to remain civil throughout this whole ordeal. That crap went flying out the door.

" You idiot!" He grabbed the knife from her hand." Your going to ruin the potion."

"Then you do it you pompous git!" She seethed.

"Sir, this American twit has ruined everything! Our potion is completely botched." Hell if she didn't want to hear him out, then forget about making amends, forget everything.

"Ms. Rosenberg that will be ten points from Gryffindor for intentionally trying to sabotage another students work. You will also cut up the new roots perfectly for Mr. Malfoy." He tossed her another root and then strode back towards Nevilles table.

They worked in silence for the remainder of the class, barely looking up at each other as they mixed the ingredients together. The potion took on the exact color that Snape had wanted, so as everyone watched Seamus test his potion out on his left hand, Draco gathered his things together.

"Could you hand me that piece of parchment?" Willow's voice interrupted his silence.

"Cant you reach over ad get it yourself?" He stuffed his books into the black leather bag his mother had purchased for his sixteenth birthday.

Willow mumbled under her breath, reaching across the table and grabbing the parchment. "You know," She folded the parchment and placed it in the bindings of one of her text books, "You are in desperate need of some help Malfoy. You keep up this charade of dark, evil, mistreated child, and your going to end up a lonely, good for nothing, bastard."

He felt his body tense, and he swung around so quickly, that his bag fell off the chair and created a loud thud. " I'd watch it Rosenberg. Be nice when you address a Malfoy. In my world, you are always taught to respect those more powerful then yourself." He smirked.

Slinging her own bag over her shoulder Willow sneered, " Then perhaps you should drop to your knees and beg at my feet." Without another word she had fled from the room without even waiting for the Potter Patrol to guide her back to her common room.

Draco's eyes were wide with astonishment. He had never expected her to come back at him with such powerful words.

"What did that bitch say Draco?" Blaise, stepped to the side of his friend and glared at Willows retreating back. "I could go cut her off in the corridor. Make her apologize for speaking to you like that." Blaise cracked his fist.

"No." He picked his bag up from the floor and shook his head. "No, forget it Blaise. I'll deal with her myself."

"But I thought-"

"I'll take care of her Blaise. Don't worry about it." Propping his own bag over his right shoulder Draco left the potions room with two things on his mind. One, how the hell he was going to distract Blaise from Armina for the evening. Two, how the hell he was going to talk to Willow without running into anyone else. "I need a drink." He mumbled, disappearing down the end of the corridor and heading for his dormitory.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Prophetic dreams had taken a nice vacation as of lately. Most recently she had been guilty of dreaming about shopping, chocolate covered strawberries, Bard Pitt, and the occasional one where she was crowned Queen of Sunnydale. Hey, even slayers had the right to dream about ridiculous things every now and then. This dream, was perhaps the very best reoccurring dream she had ever had. Adorned in a gown of diamonds, rubies, and a beautiful feather mask, Buffy walked towards the center of the ballroom. It seemed as though it was some sort of masquerade, and of course Buffy was the guest of honor.

Men from every inch of the room begged to dance with the beautiful slayer, and Buffy giggled at the thought. She danced with a tall blonde fellow, one who droned on and on about his accounting firm on Long Island. The short red haired man didn't talk at all, and sort of made her uncomfortable, but he danced divinely.

He would be coming soon. He always arrived late.

Sure enough, while she was dancing with Mr. I-Talk-About-Nothing-But-Myself, he appeared on the balcony outside the ballroom. Buffy excused herself from the arms of the conceited fellow, and weaved through the crowd until she stepped out onto the balcony ledge again.

"You came again." She smiled, stepping closer to the man who had plagued her dreams for weeks.

"I had to come. I needed to see you again." He grinned, offering his hand in which he encased hers and tugged her closer to him.

"How long will you stay with me tonight?" She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

"I cant stay very long tonight. In fact I only came to tell you one important thing." He pulled slightly away from her, lifting her chin so that he could lock his eyes with hers.

Something was wrong. The dreams in which this mysterious stranger appeared never ended like this. Usually he kissed her goodnight and then be gone until the next time he decided to appear. This was different.

"Tell me." she said blankly.

"He is coming for her. He will take her, and when the time is right he will kill her. You will be needed to protect." He kissed the top of her forehead, and took another step away from her. " Your greatest test will arise soon Buffy. Your greatest success and your greatest failure…"

Her heart stopped beating for a millisecond. Strange. Way to strange, and to make it all the stranger, this man had called her Buffy. Since she had begun dreaming about him almost three weeks ago, he had never addressed her by her first name. She didn't even know his, or where he had manifested from.

He began to climb the railing of the balcony, casting a glance in her direction only twice before standing on the railing.

"Wait!" She rushed to the ledge, her eyes begging him to come back down and tell her more. " That's not enough. I need to know more!"

"I cant tell you anymore then what I already have. I'm sorry Buffy. I truly am."

"Then at least tell me your name."

The stranger looked down upon her with his enchanting raven eyes. His dark hair, though a bit long and disheveled hung around his face and created shadows that sent utter chills throughout her body. The dark clothes that covered his body revealed a man of great muscle, a man with grand attributes, and Buffy only wished he could stay just a bit longer so she could be with him.

"Tell me your name, please."

He smiled, casting his head back and taking in the night sky. Then, before she could ask him again, he winked and threw himself over the ledge of the balcony. Buffy screamed as she watched his body plummet towards the hard earth. Without a second glance down she sprang away from the balcony and back through the ballroom. Pushing herself through the people she took the main staircase two at a time before emerging out onto the front lawns. The balcony had been on the far side of the castle, and she wasted no time rushing towards the spot where her stranger had hurled his body.

When she reached the balcony she looked around the ground, peering through the bushes to find the body of the man. There was nothing. Looking up again she made sure she was directly under the balcony before looking at the ground again in puzzlement. He couldn't have possibly lived? He fell all the way down from that balcony. She looked up again, and then directly down to the spot where he should have landed.

The ground had looked like it was crushed slightly, as though some heavy body had been lying there for a brief second before taking off again. Yet he was no where in sight. It was preposterous, creepy, and heart wrenching, all at the same time.

It's a dream Buffy. Only a dream.

A movement directly in front of her caught her attention, and she focused through the thick black night in order to make out the figure that was in front of her. It was running, and at a miraculous speed at that. She squinted, taking a few jogging steps towards the running creature. It seemed as though it was playing in the grass, in a world of its own before it even noticed Buffy standing there. When it did, its head perked up in a peculiar state, and before she could approach it, it ran off towards the trees.

Its body moved with such elegance that Buffy smiled, almost forgetting about what had just occurred to get her all riled up. It didn't seem to matter much anymore. After all, watching that big black dog play happily in the grass, she had a sudden feeling of safeness.

Buffy opened her eyes and stifled a yawn that pressed at her lips.

"Stupid silly dream." She yawned once more before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Something's not right"

He sat up quickly, running a hand over his face. Once again he had fallen asleep in his armchair, and once again he had that bloody dream about that silly girl. This time however something wasn't right. He had said something that didn't seem right at all. He pulled out some parchment and began writing a letter, though his mind was still off in the world of his dream. It was evident now that he had an obsession with this fantasy girl, but at the same time it was evident that something terrible was about to happen. He needed to speak with Harry, and so Sirius Black settled into his armchair and began to write his godson an urgent letter.

Please Review!!!! Thanks Guys! New chapter up as soon as possible! Oh, and if anyone has some interesting suggestions let me know via email or in the review. I'm always opened for suggestions. Thanks!


	4. A Whisper in the Wind

****

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept. I do not own any Buffy stuff either, cause if I did I wouldn't have ended it at season 7.   
  
**Notes**: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at Ladymioneaol.com.   
  
**Quick Summary**: _He_ was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. _She_ was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.

I do not own Ethan Haddock, but sometimes I wish I did.

**Chapter 4 A Whisper in the Wind**

__

Dear Buffy,

Oh Buffy, it's so good to finally sit down and write you a letter. I hope the school owl that I sent it with wasn't too much of a problem. He seemed a little feisty but I figured he'd be able to make a long journey without a problem.

Buffy held the parchment in her hands and glanced over at the tawny barn owl. It flew recklessly around the living room while Xander and Anya tried desperately to get it under control. Dawn thought it was simply hilarious.

__

Things here have been going well, or at least well enough where I could find these few extra moments to actually write this letter. I have been studying so hard that I cant believe its only been three weeks since I left you all in Sunnydale. It feels more like three months. Between homework, class work, study sessions, and the constant avoidance of Draco Malfoy (whom I will eventually tell you about) it's a wonder how these kids have done this for seven years.

I think out of all the things I am required to do, study sessions are perhaps the hardest of them all. I need to take these mandatory classes in order to catch up with the work the seventh years are doing. Oh by the way I was sorted into Gryffindor, its one of the four houses you can be sorted in to. Anyway, the worst study session's by far are the ones with Professor Snape. Buffy, if there were a demon in Sunnydale who was as down right nasty as him, I'd rather deal with the demon then this greasy old man. Ok, so he's technically not that old, but he surely has something against me. In his eyes everything I do is completely wrong, and half the time I'm really doing it right! Take this for example.

Last week I went down to the dungeons (that's where his class is) and got my cauldron and ingredients ready for a potion he wanted me to make. I had done everything he wanted me to do, and even a little bit more so maybe he wouldn't jump down my throat

"Would you please get that owl to stop tearing up my curtains!" Buffy looked up from the parchment as the barn owl shredded her new white lacey curtains.

"Hey Buff, this-this-creature," Xander tried batting it down with a rolled up magazine, "Is definitely a spawn of the underworld."

"Ooohhh ohhhh Xander….its in my hair…its in my hair…get it out" Anya jerked in so many directions that she bumped into the table and fell over onto the couch. " Get it out- get it out!"

Dawn, rolled up into a ball of hysterics, continued to howl out her giggles as the two continued to fight the demon owl. Buffy, however, went back to reading her letter.

__

Now just as I was about to add the final piece of manticore hair to the mix, he came storming over and grabbed my wrist. Screaming with such fury that I almost wet myself, he proceeded to tell me what an idiot I was. He said that I had been going about everything all wrong, and my punishment, though I still don't know what I did wrong, was to clean out forty cauldrons on my own! Forty! This guy is a complete goober! I think he's just incredibly lonely and hasn't had a good lay in awhile. Remember how cranky Anya used to get when her and Xander didn't…yeah…you know.

Oh hey! I almost forgot! Those packages that came with the owl, well those are presents for all of you. The large heavy one is for Dawn, tell her it's two books about the new world I'm in. The one is about my school, Hogwarts: A History, and the other one is a history book about the wizarding world. It's pretty interesting, and I know how much my Dawnie loves that stuff. The round package is for Xander, just a couple of jokes and gags I picked up in the local wizarding town we visited last weekend. Supposedly some strange side effects are supposed to happen when playing with them. I didn't actually read the labels, but I figured what the hell. The teeny tiny package is for Anya. Nothing special, just a few wizarding coins that I traded for. Apparently some of the kids here have never seen muggle-er- human money so they love a good trade. Those coins are pretty worthless, but its Anya after all.

"I will treasure these coins with my life." Buffy handed Anya the package.

"They're just coins An…"

"Just coins! Just…coins! Obviously you have no eye for pure value Xander." Swinging her hair over her shoulder she retreated to the kitchen in order to bask in her prize by herself.

__

The package with the gold ribbon is for you Buffy. Look, I know it isn't much, but my friend Ginny and I spent awhile brewing the potion and stealing a pretty vial. You see, the vial is filled with a dreamless sleep potion. Basically no matter how powerful of a dreamer you are, this potion will allow you to sleep without any dreams pressing down on you during the night. I know how awful some of those dreams you have can be, and I figured wouldn't it be nice if the slayer got a real night of beauty sleep. Not that you need it of course. There is enough in there for three nights of dreamless sleep. Use it wisely, but don't hesitate to ask if you want anymore. Ginny and I would be happy to brew it. Trust me, some nights here we are looking for anything to do.

Well, as you can see things here are going rather well. I didn't really get to tell you about the stupid little git that bugs me, but I suppose I can write about him next letter. It's not like things are miraculously going to change over night. Trust me though, you used to think Spike was a pain in the ass, this is miniature Spike, but not all dead-like. I hope to hear from you soon. Anything to keep me from feeling all bummed is rather enjoyable. Tell Giles I said hello, and give my love to everyone. Till next time.

Willow

Dear Willow,

It is so good to hear from you. Everyone thanks you much for the gifts, and a huge special thank you from me. As of the late I've been having some pretty strange dreams, and I could definitely do without them. I cant exactly say that these dreams are evil but they are definitely not of the good either. There's this strange, yet steamy guy, he shows up for a while and then disappears. Lately he's been saying some weird stuff, and I'm worried it might be about Dawn again. She's been getting along better then she had been, but she still sees herself as the key at times. It's hard to break that shell around her, sort of reminds me of myself.

But this is neither the time or the place to delve into my dreary slayer life. This is about you. It's good to see how positive your feeling about things. I can tell just from your writing that you are getting better. For awhile we weren't sure how things would go over there, but like I said you're a fighter, Will. You'll make it through. As for the nasties (your Professor and the kid that is) don't let them get you down. No reason to worry if your doing well overall. Which you seem to be all on the up and up with. Hold on, Dawn wants write something, and if I have to hear her whine any longer may I not be held responsible for anything that may happen to her.

Hey Willow! Miss me much? Ever since you left things have been pretty much the same. I mean Buffy goes out and patrols each night, Xander and Anya keep each other occupied all the time, and I'm usually here…alone. Which is totally fine by me, I mean hello sixteen and house to myself means kickin parties. Buffy totally just flipped. I love bustin her every now and then. No seriously, I'm glad to hear that your doing well. Its good to hear from you, and stuff. I think about your return home all the time. I've started to study up on some magic myself. Though I'm no where near ready to perform anything. I personally just like the reading, which is why I want to thank you for the two books. They will totally come in handy once I'm finished reading the Wicca book I borrowed from Giles. Please write again soon, and be sure to use the same exact owl. He's stellar!

Always,

Dawnie

Please do not send that owl ever again. It's cute and all, but I like my furniture in one piece. Even though it really is funny watching Anya run away from it. First it was the bunnies, now owls…

"You have a friend afraid of bunnies? As in bunny rabbits? Normal plain everyday bunny rabbits?" Ginny furrowed her brow.

Willow chuckled "Yeah well Anya is a special case…"

__

Anyway Wills, I don't want to keep you any longer. If you need anything you know to owl us as soon as you can. And when I mean anything I really mean ANYTHING! I hope to hear from you soon, and be sure to keep that head held high. We all love you and miss you much. Even Spike, who has just managed to sneak into my house without any one knowing. Remind me why we keep him around?

All my love,

Buffy

Willow,

Meet me at the Quidditch Pitch after your session with McGonagall tonight. Make sure Granger doesn't see you leave. Come alone. I promise no tricks, just something that I need to address. I hope to see you there.

Draco

Draco sighed as he tied the parchment to the foot of the owl and sent it out his dormitory window. He hoped she wouldn't take his invitation as a joke, but it was common sense to say that she probably would. For two weeks he had gone along with his friends and forgotten about the red-headed witch. Still he couldn't shake the curiosity, he couldn't fight his fever to learn more about the American. So without discussing his plans with his friends, he sent out the letter in hope that she'd meet up with him on the pitch. It was a long shot, but the worst that could happen would be a no show. He'd take his chances and hope she'd show up.

Flopping back onto his four-post bed he stared at the canopy above his head for a long moment before taking out his wand and twirling it casually between his fingers. It slipped between each finger with such grace it barely looked like it was moving at all. Simple things like this always struck him as boring, but on a day like today it was this type of thing that could occupy him until he had to make his way down to the pitch.

"I completely give up!" Blaise came storming into the room, Lawrence directly on his tail.

Barely moving from his spot Draco turned his attention towards the door." What's the problem mate?" Lawrence shook his head as if to warn Draco what he had just got himself into.

"Mia, that's the problem. She's always a problem."

Draco kicked himself mentally. He had been doing such a grand job keeping Armina's dating life a secret, but tonight he had been far to caught up with his letter to Willow.

"Why, what happened?" He moved over so Lawrence could sit beside him.

"She's out with Caulfield again! Again! It's like she doesn't register the fact that he's only using her for one thing!" He punched the closest object to him which happened to be the wall, and cursed. "Bloody hell!" Nursing his fist he took a seat on the floor.

"Yeah, then he decided to go all dark wizard and proceeded to beat the hell out of Jack right in front of Mia. "

"Well good job Blaise, I'm pretty sure that didn't just tick her off, now we have to deal with…."

There was another crash at the door and all eyes snapped towards the figure that loomed over them. Ethan Haddock was another seventh year Slytherin, and he happened to be best friends with Jackson Caulfield. Needless to say they were all in for a very brutal ten minutes, and if Ethan didn't kill Blaise right here and now there was always the opportunity when the went to bed tonight.

"What the hell is your problem Zabini?" He took a few advancing steps, pushing Lawrence out of the way.

"Look Haddock, it doesn't concern you." Blaise, though usually full of composure stuttered slightly.

"Like hell it doesn't concern me. You beat the hell out of my friend, and for what?! Cause your bloody jealous that Armina wants to shag him and not you? Hell, she'd shag me as well before she'd lay a finger on you. Your pathetic Zabini, pathetic!"

If someone how counted out loud it would have been less then three seconds before Blaise had lunged at Haddock. Haddock knew it would be coming, but even so he couldn't avoid Blaise's fist from colliding with his face. Though Blaise was large against the average wizard, Haddock was larger, and even though the punch had knocked him back for a minute, Ethan had already begun to fire back with fists of fury.

There was a crash, and then another clatter, two tables falling over and glass shattering across the floor. Draco, not wanting to see this go any further, tried to pull Ethan off of an already badly beaten Blaise. This only angered Ethan more, and he clocked Draco in the face so fast that he barely had taken his fist away from Blaise. It was a tangled mess of fists, Ethan doing most of the hitting, and even Lawrence couldn't pry Ethan away from Blaises body. Draco, crawled across the floor towards his bed and reached for his wand. True he'd probably get the chair for using his wand on another person, but this was a matter that needed to be taken care of before Haddock really got carried away.

"Drop him Ethan." Draco's wand wavered in the air, and he wiped some dripping blood from his lip.

Ethan's fist froze inches from Blaise's face, and for a moment the boy looked scared at what Draco may do. Then, with one final blow he hit Blaise before dropping him to the ground. Standing he brushed his robes off, and adjusted the tie that seemed to be moved out of place.

"Tell him the next time he messes with Jack, or myself, or anyone whom I actually care about….tell him I wont just stop here." Kicking some of the glass across the room he smirked, before laughing maliciously, "Its been fun mates, see you later tonight." And just like that he was gone.

"God if there is anyone I hate more then Potter and Weasley its Haddock and Caulfield." Draco helped Blaise up into a sitting position.

"I definitely hate Caulfield and Haddock more." Blaise groaned, holding his hand to the side of his head.

"Yeah well as much as I hate them you deserved it mate."

"Deserve it? Are you mad?" All I did was try and protect the witch I love from some spineless, self absorbed piece of crap!"

"And you've certainly proved that point." Lawrence smirked, brushing the pieces of glass into the garbage can.

"Sod Off!" Blaise shot back as he leaned against Draco in order to gain some balance.

"Listen…"Draco huffed, "Since the three of us are here right now lets chat for a second without the constant interruptions, all right?" The two boys nodded silently, perplexed by the sudden change in attitude. "Look, we've already wasted two weeks without devising a plan to get out of the initiation. Personally I have only received one letter from my father and he has yet to inform me of the exact date, but its rapidly approaching…"

"I haven't gotten a letter yet, but with all respect to my father I could probably tell him straight out and he wouldn't torture me too much." Blaise glanced over towards Lawrence and laughed.

"Blaise I'm being serious. You want to joke about what we have been avoiding then do it on your own time…"

"Draco calm down I'm only poking fun at-"

"I don't care if your poking fun or not. I want to live. Now if you still want in then the best you can do right now is to shut it."

Blaise dropped his head and Draco knew it was either out of anger or out of respect. Regardless, there was a limit to Draco's patience and despite the fact that they were friends his patience was running thin. They had each sacrificed so much by creating that pact, and he would be damned before he dismissed it all.

"There is something strange going on. My dreams are plagued by some mysterious girl, Willow's name keeps appearing in my fathers study, and the best I can do is sit on my arse and pretend that everything is made of chocolate frogs and sugar quills." He sighed, pacing twice across the floor before coming to a complete halt. "Which is why….which is why I need to go talk with Willow. I need to know what is going on with her so I can figure out what's going on with me."

Lawrence opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it before any sound escaped.

Draco exchanged a harsh look with Blaise. "You know I'm right."

"But she's a Gryffindork." Blaise clenched his fist.

"Does it matter?"

"Potters a Gryffindor."

Draco nodded, his fingers running along the side of his chin. " Your right, he is, but I don't want to see the Potter Patrol. I want to see Willow. Completely different."

"How?"

"She has something that he doesn't." A smile spread across his face "She's danced in the ring of dark power…she's tasted the anger, the fury. She has been engulfed by all the dark magics in the world…and she's lived through it."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"That one from Buffy? Ginny glanced casually over her shoulder at the figure sprawled out on the bed.

It was Friday and Willow had been excused from Transfiguration study session due to her quick grasp of the current material. Willow was pleased, well at least pleased enough to bullshit an entire letter to Buffy. It seemed as though she bought it too.

"Yeah…she said thanks for the potion."

Ginny smiled. "I'm glad she liked it."

There was a part of the letter that had been truthful, but most of it was a big fat ugly lie straight from the hell mouth. She loved Buffy and the more she studied here the more she realized her problems were just that…her problems. Buffy didn't need to be weighed down with Willows mistakes. So she wrote the letter with such sickening sweet sappiness that she almost believed that things were fine and dandy.

Hoisting herself up on the bed she placed the letter next to the framed picture of the Scooby gang. It had been taken one day before Glory came, before Buffy's death,

Before Tara…

They were all smiling, all fears and insecurities completely washed away for the moment. Life was so innocent then. They had never been burdened by too much for too long, and when they were it was always solvable.

Glory had been solvable, and even Buffy's death had been solvable. Tara was the only thing she couldn't solve. Willow failed twice. She had failed her lover and her friends. Despite every great thing she had managed to do within the time she knew Buffy there was nothing to nullify the heartless murder she committed.

Tears slipped down her cheeks and splashed down on the bed spread. Ginny knew she cried often, but she quickly wiped away the blotchy evidence. Her heart just wasn't in the mood for mending.

"That your owl?"

"Huh?" Willow flickered her gaze towards Ginny who was now reading a Witch Weekly.

"There's an owl at the window and its not mine."

"Oh…" Slipping from the bed Willow crossed the distance between her bed and the window.

"The latch sort of sticks so you may have to pull it hard."

"Ok." With a yank Willow pulled on the latch, but it didn't budge at all. Pushing a bit harder, she huffed and then smiled when it squeaked slightly. There was another squeak, a pop and a yelp as the pane of glass popped from the frame and fell all the way down to the ground. The owl, relieved to finally get inside, scooted into the room and perched itself on the back of the chair.

"Hah hah hah- you- hah you get the owl" Ginny giggled, " I'll fix that window."

"Thanks Gin." Willow shook her head." Geez, everything I touch I destroy." She reached out towards the owl which let out a frightened hoot. "Oh calm down its called sarcasm." She untied the note, rolling her eyes ever so slightly.

"Whose it from?" Ginny tapped the glass back into place with a grin. "Gotta love those repairing charms. " Brushing her hands clean she asked again. "So, what's it say?"

Willow had read the brief message once and then read it again. In fact she read it three times just to be sure that she wasn't seeing things. Hadn't she told him that she didn't want to speak to him anymore? Was he really that thickheaded?

"Has some hunky fellow asked you out on a trip to Hogsmeade?" She erupted into laughter again.

Willow glanced at her clock. If she had gone to her Transfiguration session it would be just about over. Gathering her things together she nabbed her cloak and shook her head.

"No, but something has come up." She fastened the clasp around her neck, " Don't tell anyone I'm gone, but I promise to be back soon." Before Ginny even had a chance to reply, Willow was out the door.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Whose there?"

"It is I sir."

"Very well, you may enter."

The wooden door swung open slowly, the screeching sending chills down the visitors spine. He was not fond of this manor, and in fact he wasn't very fond of the master of the house either. Yet he was there on a mission from his own master, and if he should fail this simple task his head would surely be placed upon a silver platter and served to the demons that lived in the nearest forest. Skulking towards the large oak desk he tried to recall the last time he had seen this study such a mess. Even last time he was here it didn't seem so cluttered.

"What can I help you with Pettigrew?"

Peter scowled under his breath, knowing quite well that the Dark Lord had told Lucius several times to refer to Peter by his first name. He deserved the honor! Hell he had done more for the Dark Lord then half of those blasted death eaters, Malfoy included.

"I was sent to see how your progress was with the witch." Peter approached the desk and took a seat across from Lucius.

Lucius sighed, tapping his fingers softly on the desk before turning towards a stack full of papers. He didn't utter a word while he searched, just sifted through the various papers as though Peter wasn't even there. His eyes settled on one piece of parchment and he cackled softly to himself. He had forgotten that he had taken the papers from the last muggle he killed. She had shoved them in her pockets when he pursued her, and although they were of no importance to him he loved to reminisce about the torture he performed on those stupid Mudbloods.

"Something humorous Lucius?" Pettigrew arched his eyebrow.

"Do shut up while I search."

He placed the papers back down and began his search again. This time setting aside a long roll of parchment and a few scraps of paper. Finally towards the very bottom of the pile was the parchment he was looking for. It was tattered on the sides, and the writing seemed to be slightly smudged in the center. No, bother. It was still readable and highly useful in the long run.

"So…"

Lucius snarled, slamming his hands down on the oak desk. "Do I have to repeat myself again! Keep that mouth of yours shut! Your reminding me very much of Narcissa right now, and I'm not finding it humorous." Spreading the papers out on the desk he pointed to the few scraps that littered the table. " Look," He began, "I was able to find out the girls full name through a couple of informants I have. Apparently Parkinson's kid hates the girl and has sent home various letters about her. Tell the Dark Lord that her name is Willow Rosenberg. According to these notes I have, and these scrolls of parchment that were registered with the Counsel and the Ministry, this girl was the girl who has summoned the Dark Cloud of Peril. She holds just as much power as our Lord. And now…" He smirked, pointing at another scrap of paper, " She's completely distraught…vulnerable. The witch is completely defenseless, and right at our fingertips. We could have her eating out of the palm of our hands within a day. Then our Lord will finally have what he needs."

"What does that paper say?" Peter leaned over and tapped at one of the smaller pieces of parchment.

"Those are the names of her contacts in America." He waved his hand around idly, " Apparently she knows the Slayer quite well."

Peter gasped. He had only heard rumors of the slayer, but never once had he believed the tales were true. " You mean the real Slayer…._THE SLAYER?" _He emphasized.

"Yes, the Vampire Slayer. Buffy Summers or so I believe that's what they call her. Quite a feisty one too. I hear she's the oldest slayer to roam our earth." He licked his lower lip, " I've always wondered what it would be like to rape and kill a slayer. Perhaps once the Dark Lord has destroyed everything here we could start our work on America. We could have a go with the slayer…"

"But do you think its wise for the Dark Lord to take his chances with this witch? Suppose the slayer hears about it? Suppose she comes here in order to save her? "

"Pettigrew you idiot." Lucius shook his head in disgust. " Even if the slayer came her in order to save her friend it would be useless. The slayer was born and raised a muggle, she has no magical training. One unforgivable curse and she'd be dead before even thinking about blocking it. You really are daft sometimes, Pettigrew. I do not know how the Dark Lord puts up with you at his side."

Peter mumbled, "Sod off Lucius."

"What did you say?" Lucius rose from his seat and narrowed his eyes. "Do speak a little louder Pettigrew."

"I didn't say a thing, _Malfoy._"

"Why you insufferable toad! I have every right to curse you into a pile of dust! You dare speak to me in such a tone again and I swear-" His voice was seething with anger.

"Lucius, Lucius please." Peter chuckled nervously, "I didn't say a thing."

Malfoy studied him, unconvinced that Peter had not told him to sod off. However he had bigger things to worry about then Peter Pettigrew. He needed to write his son another letter, and he needed to address his concerns about Willow Rosenberg. Perhaps if Draco wanted to prove himself early he could help arrange for Willow's 'disappearance.'

"Go back and tell him everything I have told you. Tell him that I will take care of the witch and she will be delivered as soon as I can arrange it."

"I'll tell him Lucius." Peter backed slowly from the table, his eyes fixed on those of his fellow death eater.

"In fact, perhaps I'll take a little visit to the school myself…" Lucius adjusted the cloak on his back. " In fact Pettigrew…tell him he might receive her sooner then he thinks."

"Do you plan on visiting the school tonight Lucius?"

"Perhaps…now hurry and leave. I have important things I must attend to."

"Very well. Goodbye Lucius." He inched out the door, closing it behind him with a deafening slam.

Lucius Malfoy stood in front of the large fireplace that graced his study. It would seem odd at first why he would be showing up at Hogwarts so late in the day, but he had done stranger things and gotten away with it. He could easily devise a lie and spin it to that old bat Dumbledore.

Reaching into the little dish that sat atop the fireplace Lucius stepped inside. Throwing the floo powder down around his feet he bellowed, "Hogsmeade." And in a flash of bright green flames he was gone.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

By the time she made it outside it was beginning to get dark, and with the hood of her cloak pulled up over her head there was no possible way to be identified. The wind whistled in the trees and the grass tickled at her ankles. It was cool but not to cool and in a way she was glad he wanted to meet outside. It was far to nice a night to be stuck indoors wallowing in her own misery.

"Willow…"Stopping, she turned towards the forest catching a glimpse of Hagrids hut in the distance.

"Draco?"

"Willow…."

"Hello?"

"Hello…"

The note had specifically said to meet at the pitch, but the voice was coming from across the grounds and into the forest. It felt as though the air around her grew thicker which each whisper of her name. It was eerie, frightening, and if this was what Malfoy had up his sleeve the whole time she'd risk the detention and beat the crap out of him. Which would be a really nice way to get rid of all the frustration she had been feeling lately. Reaching for her wand, Willow scanned the darkened grounds for any sign of movement.

"Lumos." she whispered, heading in the direction of the whisper. Sure she had learned from Buffy to never follow a voice you couldn't see, but she was armed. Or at least armed enough where she didn't need to worry about something she couldn't see.

For as far as she could see, however, there was nothing but grass, flowers and trees in front of her, and unless it was the flowers that had whispered her name she was beginning to feel that perhaps this wasn't the best plan after all.

"Willow…" This time it was so close the hairs on her neck stood on end.

"Whose there?" She whirled on her heel, "Draco? I know its you. Cut the shit all right?" She took a few more steps towards the forest. "Ouch!"

Her foot stung for a second and she looked down to see what she had stubbed it on. A stick? Still it was way to hard to be a branch from a measly old tree. A glint of silver flickered under the light from her wand, and she squinted while she reached down to pick it up.

"Lovely cane isn't it?" Out of nervous behavior she squeaked, dropping the cane back to the ground. "Now now…" the stranger began, " That isn't any way to treat someone else's property." He bent down to retrieve it.

"I-um- who-" bewildered wasn't even a word to describe her state, "Sorry."

"No need to worry my dear." He reached out and ran his bony index finger along her cheek.

She pulled away, glancing back at the castle in hope of seeing someone coming out across the ground. To no avail the grounds were empty, and Willow looked back to the stranger in puzzlement.

"Do I know you? You look familiar." There was a hint of something memorable about the stranger with the cane.

"Do you think you know me?" His words slipped delicately from his lips, and the hiss at the end of his sentence caused her to shiver.

"Well, no, not really, but I- I swear I've seen you before. Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"Do you always dwell on some things that cannot be explained?"

"Do you always answer a question with a question." Willow folded her arms across her chest, her wand still flickering its light from the tip.

"Silly girl, you shouldn't be so curt with strangers."

__

Dracula. This creepy guy totally gives off the whole Dracula vibe. Pale skin, white blonde hair…he could totally be a vamp Willow. Be cautious.

"What are you thinking about?" His lips tensed into the most uncomfortable smile she had ever seen.

"Oh, um, nothing. Well sorry about your cane but I have somewhere to be. Sorry again, and uh yeah, see you around."

Turning towards the pitch she had only taken a couple of steps before a hand clasped down on her shoulder. She shrieked again and tugged away from his grasp, or at least tried to tug away. His hold on her was firm, and she could feel the icy chill penetrating through her cloak.

"What do you want?" Her voice wavered.

"To-" but a humming noise over his shoulder caused him to stop. In the distance another figure heading towards the pitch had managed to foil his plan. If he tried anything now, and she happened to scream, the other figure would surely hear her cry. The chance was far to great. "To supply you with a word of advice of course." he smirked as she quirked her eyebrows, "You shouldn't walk these grounds alone at night. Terrible things have been known to happen."

Furrowing her brow even more she gave her shoulder a final tug and pulled from his grasp. "Thanks." she replied bluntly, taking another step away from the Dracula-esc fellow.

"Anytime."

She ran.

The hood of her cloak flew down around her shoulders, but she ran as though her life depended on it. Without a second glance back to see if he was following her, she had sped straight towards the pitch. She was stupid for complying with this letter. Some creepy guy had just appeared on the grounds and-

"Wait a minute. You cant apparate on the grounds of Hogwarts. Its not possible. And its not possible that Dumbledore would let some stranger onto Hogwarts property for no reason. I'm just paranoid. Calm down Willow. It was absolutely nothing. Probably some visitor to the castle that no one knew about. You've really made a fool of yourself this time Rosenberg….good job."

True, it was still super creepy, but Dumbledore would surely sense if something evil was lurking about the grounds. Wouldn't he?

"It's nice to see you've shown up." Draco's voice cut through her thoughts.

She hadn't even noticed that she had already wandered into the pitch. In a way she was grateful to be around someone who she actually knew, but in another sense she wished it was anyone but Malfoy.

"Just cut to it Malfoy. What do you want? I don't have time to pussyfoot around your snide remarks." She closed the distance between them, climbing up to the bench he was sitting on.

"Touchy Rosenberg, touchy." He sighed, stretched out his arms in front of him, and then smirked. " I'm in no rush to get back to the stuffy dungeons, so if you don't mind I'd like to take my time with what I am about to say."

Willow rolled her eyes, but sat down next to him instead of coming back with another wise ass remark. At that rate they would be there all night, and after her encounter on the grounds she felt it necessary to get back to her dormitory as soon as possible. The stars began to twinkle in the sky above them, and for a long while they both remained quiet, each waiting for the other to break the annoying silence.

"Look if your not going to say anything I'm just going to head-"

"Quiet."

"Why you little piece of-"

"It's not as easy as you may think."

Willow tugged her hood back over her head. " What's not easy? What are you getting at Malfoy?"

"God do I have to spell it out for you Rosenberg?" He ran his fingers along the trim of his robe. "I'm, well I wanted, geez I wanted to say I'm sorry. Ok! There I said it." He propped his feet up on the stands in front of him.

Her jaw dropped, "What? Did you just apologize? Hold on…" Willow shook her head, and stuck her finger inside her ear, "say it again, would ya?"

"Don't press it Rosenberg. I havent just come out here for a heart warming apology. You should know better then that." He smirked, " There's some other things we need to address."

Willow nodded mutely, for the first time since the train ride she was actually intrigued by what he might say to her. Hell he had surprised her with an apology the next thing he may do is offer her a bag full of galleons or something.

"I know there are many reasons why you shouldn't trust me. For Merlins sake I don't trust myself half the time. Still…ever since you showed up here at Hogwarts, ever since we met, I have been suffering from some strange dreams. Now I don't believe in all that mumbo jumbo Divination Seer crap that Trelawney feeds us, but I do believe that some dreams can tap into something that we can not explain. You follow?"

"Well my best friend used to have prophetic dreams all the time, in fact she still does." Willow propped her chin up in her hand, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"Then you'd understand if I told you that your name has appeared in my dreams many times over the last few weeks. And you'd definitely understand that these dreams are bugging the hell out of me. Now all I'm asking is that you give me some sort of clue as to who you really are, so I can decipher these dreams before they drive me insane." He kept his eyes locked with hers, the serious expression on his face proof of how serious this really was to him.

Willow felt her eyes widen slightly. The one thing she had been dreading, her secrets spilling across the school, it was all being laid right out in front of her. She could always lie, make up some silly story so that he would just leave her alone. Yes, that's what she would do. She'd spin some tales and bullshit the rest. Hey, Buffy had bought it, and if she could fool her best friend she could definitely fool Draco Malfoy.

"What do you want to know?" she folded her arms across her chest.

"Everything. I want to know where your really from, why you came here, how you found out about Hogwarts. I'm curious is all…oh and take this" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial.

She pushed his hand away from her face. " Do you think I'm an idiot or something. I drink that, and I start blabbing my entire life story to you. No thanks Malfoy, I'll be leaving." She rose from the bench and began moving towards the stairs.

"No you wont." Draco drew his wand. " You _will _take this potion, or I'll be forced to help you take it."

She stopped, "Get lost kid, you really don't know what your dealing with?" Continuing towards the steps she felt his hand reach out and grab her.

"I said TAKE IT!"

A surge shot through her body which such a sickening force that she doubled over for a second. The anger, frustration, the terror, every emotion that had been bottled up inside of her came rearing to the forefront of her mind. It was like everything fell into slow motion, and she threw Draco's hand from her arm. Blackness masked over her eyes, and she laughed maliciously.

"Silly child…" There were images flashing like a demonic slide show through her mind. All the pain she had caused, all the problems, and most of all the loss she felt when Tara was taken from her. It was then that Willow thrust her hands around Dracos wrists and smirked. "Silly silly boy…take this…."

She thrust her index finger to the center of his forehead and as her skin touched his, Draco screamed.

Dun dun dun……

What will happen next?

Here's a sneak peak at the next chapter:

"It was her Headmaster! I saw it with my own two eyes! She's the one who killed Ms. Ginny Weasley, it was her!" Filtch pointed his decrepit finger across the hall and scowled at the witch.

Harry's mouth went dry as he looked over at Hermione.

A big thanks to Miri for letting me use Ethan in here.

Anyway thanks for the reviews guys! Keep them coming! They totally give me energy to finish all my editing and crap quicker. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks again!


	5. An Imposter Lurks Among Us

**Disclaimer: **The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept. I do not own any Buffy stuff either, cause if I did I wouldn't have ended it at season 7.   
  
**Notes**: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at .   
  
**Quick Summary**: _He_ was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. _She_ was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.

****

Chapter 5 An Imposter Lurks Among Us

Her finger pressed down upon his forehead with such a force, that Draco, through his screams, stumbled backwards and fell against the closest bench. He had been prepared to learn about Willow's power, but never in a million years did he ever imagine that this was the sort of power that she possessed. His forehead throbbed beyond any pain he had ever endured, and all the while he could hear her chilling cackles cutting through the air.

"Silly little Malfoy thinks he knows what's best. Stupid! You have no idea what my life entails. You have no idea what I have been through, but if you want to learn it all so bad then be my guest." Dropping her head back towards the sky she grinned. " Goddess divine, flash these memories to mind."

Draco screamed again, a sudden tingling sensation ripping through his skin at a ridiculous rate. It was like he was being forced into some sort of sleeping state, though he wasn't really sure what the hell was going on. Was this her way of killing him? No, it couldn't be. Because as his body sank lower to the ground images began to appear in his head. Fuzzy at first, but growing clearer by the second, he suddenly stopped thrashing about and let the images scan through his mind.

She knew he wouldn't understand a second of what she was showing him, but all she could hope for was some sort of inkling as to how screwed up she really was. So she began right in the beginning of it all. Back during the days where things probably weren't as awful as she had imagined they were. Still it was better to begin here so he could get a clear picture of what she was showing.

The images shot through him at a ridiculous speed. A high school followed by an enormous snake and many vampires. Vampires? How the hell did she know vampires were real? There was a library and what looked to be like the beginning of a large apocalypse. A woman with short brown hair being closed in a coffin, and the floor of the library cracking open once again. Flashes of pain, sorrow, and distress filled his head, and he began to struggle again in hopes of getting out of this predicament. The flashes drove onward, now leaping to a point where they looked older. A boy had turned into a werewolf, and then Willow cried as the same boy left her. A machine looking demon appeared followed by a group of men who were suited in camouflage. There was a young girl with long brown hair being seized by Glorificus? He had read about her last year during a History of Magic assignment. A man was stabbed by a long pole, and then…

Draco felt his body chill over. The images began to slow down, and he tried desperately to free himself from Willow's grasp. Now there was a girl, two girls standing up on a tower. The one with the long brown hair was cut, deep. They were engaged in a conversation, and the one girl continued to cry tears of sorrow. The other, well she began running towards the other end of the tower, and without any hesitation she dove over the edge and into some bright flashy light. Pain. He could feel the loss. Whomever that girl was, it was evident that she held a special place in Willow's heart. And then the flashes began to pick up again. The very same girl who he just saw died returned to life with the help of Willows magic. Another woman was dead on a couch. There was singing, which he didn't quite understand, and then it all slowed down again. This time he witnessed the death of yet another, and when the bullet ripped through her body he felt a wave of torture sweep through him. He watched as a force drove through Willow, and by her own hands he watched as she brutally skinned a man alive. There was death, followed by destruction, followed by Willow finally falling into the arms of a dark haired man.

Draco's body ached with emotion. Everything he had imagined about the red-headed American was nothing compared to what he had just witnessed. The throbbing pain in the center of his head slowly began to fade, and the images began to blur again until they finally faded into nothingness. His eyes opened, his wrists were released, and when he was able to focus on Willow he could see the tears pour heavily from her eyes.

"Promise me you will never tell a soul. No one can know what I did…what I've done…" Her cheeks were stained with the wetness of her teardrops, and Draco reached up and wiped them from her face.

"I swear to you that I wont tell a soul." He whispered, his fingers still moving numbly over her cheeks. " I didn't know- I didn't mean…" He dropped his eyes towards the ground. " I'm sorry Willow. I really truly am."

"Its so hard…." She began through broken sobs. " I just want to go back…make it all go away. No one knows, no one understands…I just want it to be over. I want it to get better."

Draco had consoled his mother often when she cried. Always taking her into his arms and hushing her misery away. Though it wasn't something he liked to admit to anyone, even Blaise, tears had become such second nature to him. At his Manor it was the only emotion, besides hatred, that lingered through the walls. Which is why the front he held at Hogwarts had to be firm. No one could possibly grasp the façade he wore in front of them all. Which is why if anyone knew Draco Malfoy, which was perhaps the entire school, not a single one would have believed what was about to happen.

Gathering back his strength and checking the pitch once over to be certain of its vacancy, Draco dried her cheeks again. Once he was positive his reputation wouldn't be tarnished, he slowly grasped Willow by her shoulders and engulfed her in his arms. Holding her there he felt her body shutter against him. Even without her spilling a word he could feel the pain and anger seeping through her skin. It was frightening to feel all this power against him, but he felt like it was something he had to do. After all he had practically forced her to let out all of this heartache, so it was the least he could do. And here he thought that she held some sort of key to his odd dreams. Here he thought that perhaps her past would lead to some insight into his own life. Gods he could be so incredibly wrong sometimes.

"Willow…you don't ever have to feel alone again. I don't care what the others say. I don't care what house loyalties say…I am not going to let you dig through this on your own." Pulling back from her slightly he offered a tiny smile. "From that first conversation on the train I knew that there was something about you. I felt it. And I don't care about what you may have done in the past. Hell I haven't been a saint all my life either. Ask Potter about it." At this she smiled. " I'll be the first to admit that I'm a cold hearted bastard, but I know what its like to feel out of place. I know the loneliness, and the pain. God I lived with it my entire life. Not anymore. You're as much a Slytherin as the next pureblood wizard."

Willow sniffed. Her body and mind was completely shredded at the moment, and she longed for her bed. If she had known that this would have happened when she came down to the pitch than perhaps she would have stayed in with Ginny. She hated reliving the past. All it did was bring on memories of heartache. Most of the heartache was her own bloody fault. Now she had gone and spilled the entire thing to him. In one way it felt relieving, but in another sense it scared her more than she could possibly say. If he told anyone that she had killed an innocent man than she was certain the entire school would be in an uproar.

__

Good going Willow. Way to screw it up again.

Swiping at her nose, Willow fumbled with the hem of her cloak. Hell she wasn't even capable of looking him in the eyes. " I- I don't know what I can say really. God if this was any other time I'd be so thankful for everything you just said, but now- Draco I just hit you with so much, and I don't think I tiny apology can even hint at my regret. I'm such a failure. All I ever do is screw things up, and here you are trying to help me out. You know you're in for a lot of trouble if you take me in. I don't think your lot will be too happy, and I can guarantee Harry and the others wont like it. "

"Screw the Gryffindorks. They're so bloody righteous half the time. All the moan about is acceptance and goodwill, bullshit. Merlin forbid someone tries to take away one of their own. I'm telling you they are worse then the Slytherins. House loyalties…hah." he rolled his eyes. "I've got more loyalty in my little finger than they have accumulated in their entire house."

She laughed softly, fingering a piece of her hair for a brief moment. " Can I ask you something?"

"Course."

Swallowing a bit of nervousness that had snuck inside of her, she finally brought her eyes up to meet his own. " When you said you have dreams about me…what do they entail? I mean…what am I doing?"

Well that certainly wasn't the question he expected her to ask. Especially since he didn't really want to tell her that he had seen her name on his fathers papers. How delightful would that be to inform her that his father, current death eater, was inquiring about the girl? At least in his dreams.

"Nothing terrible. Don't fret. Just your name appearing in various places…for awhile I thought that I was just going crazy. Come on…" He lifted her from the seat and took her by the hand. "We should really get back inside."

She nodded at his words, relieved that his dreams didn't involve her destroying anything. " All right." She took his hand and stood, brushing off her cloak with her free hand. "Draco, you still promise to keep this all secret?" Arching her eyebrow she gripped his hand firmly in her own.

For a brief second he considered at least telling Blaise. If anyone deserved to know what had just occurred, it was his best friend. Though the second the thought swept through his mind, in another second it was gone. "Secrets safe with me. Slytherins honor." He smirked.

"Somehow I don't find that too relieving…." She chuckled, a sudden weight finally lifting from her shoulders. With another tiny laugh, and her hand firm in Draco's, they made their way back inside the castle.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Lucius Malfoy had silently watched the drama unfold between the red-headed witch and his own flesh and blood. It was, at least to him, an odd scene. Especially since it seemed as though the two were actually getting along. However in light of things the Dark Lord had told him, this would indeed come in handy. Oh, especially if he informed Draco how pleased the Dark Lord would be with his involvement. With the trust of his son, he was almost certain he could have the witch in his clutches within the next few weeks. Enough time for the ceremony to take place, and certainly enough time for the Dark Lord to convince her of almighty power.

She was weak. It would be an easy capture, and most of all an easy sway. They had done it to so many weak individuals before. It would have been such a pity if they let this girl go to waste. In an odd way they owed Pettigrew for discovering her power. Without his botch in the Ministry a month ago they would have never known that this witch even existed. With the prophecy so disturbingly close, and the possibility of such power on their side, it was only time before the Dark Lord would rise again amongst the people. Only a sheer matter of months before that blasted Potter would be killed.

Oh it tasted so sweet in his mouth.

When he caught sight of the two embracing his stomach lurched in disgust. One thing he truly hated about his son was his bloody heart, but he couldn't dwell on that disgusting fact now. No, he had bigger things to deal with. Better things. With a elegant turn of his heel, Lucius Malfoy headed towards the castle. The potion he had grabbed before he left his quarters was tucked tightly in his hand. After colliding with the witch on the grounds he had managed to take a spec of hair from her cloak. It would suit him perfectly for the next part of his plan. Granted it would only last a good ten minutes, but that was really all he needed in order to complete his mission. For he had a certain red head to meet up in Gryffindor tower, and if the cards were played correctly, Willow would be placed in his hands sooner rather than later.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

__

The most eligible bachelor out there today ladies is none other than Mr. Harry Potter. The strapping young seventeen year old is completely witch free, and if you fill out and send in this quiz about the famous Boy-Who-Lived, you could be the winner of our grand prize! An actual date with the wizard, himself! Don't delay, the drawing will be held in three months! Get those quizzes in today!

Ginny rolled her eyes and tossed the newest issue of The Quibbler on the floor. Most of the time she enjoyed reading the asinine stories that they put in there, but when they dealt with her friends she wasn't exactly a fan. Especially when they toyed with Harry as much as they did.

"Really now, you'd think they'd learn…" She sighed, rolling from her bed and heading across to her trunk.

Willow had left no more than an hour ago, and Ginny was practically itching with boredom. Slipping on her shoes, and grabbing a few sheets of parchment, Ginny opened up her dormitory door and made way down to the common room.

"I told you Parvati, I'll give you this shade of lipstick, if you let me borrow those strappy shoes for the first Hogsmeade trip!"

"And I told you, I don't want your feet in my brand new highly expensive shoes. Go bother someone else for shoes. I hear Hermione has quite a selection." The girls giggled.

Ginny folded her arms over her chest at the comment and cleared her throat as she approached them from behind. " Ehem, hello Lavender, Parvati…" She offered a slight nod before heading towards the couch. Sometimes she really hated those two.

"Hey Gin." Glancing up she smiled broadly as Harry took the seat next to her. "What ya been up to today? Anything positively exciting?" Leaning back into the couch he propped his feet up on the adjacent table.

"No, nothing to fun. I was up in my room with Willow before, but she took off in a hurry. Then I forced myself to read The Quibbler. According to its contents you're the grand prize for their raffle drawing in a few months." Giggling she placed the parchment down on the floor.

Harry, even though this wasn't the first time it happened, pounded his fist against the arm of the couch. "I don't know how many times I have to inform them that I do not want my name in that blasted magazine."

"You shouldn't let it get to you Harry. Junk like that gets published all the time. " Reaching over she gave him a pat on the knee.

"You don't understand Ginny. They publish all this rubbish about me, and then I have to spend extra time convincing people that none of it is true."

"That none of what's true?" Ron shoved a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"And where have you been?" Harry craned his neck to get a better look at the approaching Ron. "I thought you said we'd meet back here before heading down to Hagrids?"

"Oh that.." Ron flickered his gaze over towards Ginny before blushing. " I um I well I stopped in the library to see Hermione. I well-"

Harry burst into laughter. "Ron, you don't need to explain anymore. I get the idea."

"What idea? " Ginny quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know." Harry nodded towards the brightly blushing Ron.

Ginny shot a look towards Ron, then another back towards Harry. For the few silent seconds that unfolded before them, Ginny had no bloody idea what the hell they were going on about.

"So Ron went to see Hermione in the library, big deal. I visit Hermione in the library all the time." She threw her hand casually in the air.

"Yeah, but…" Harry turned on the couch and pushed himself up on his knees. Reaching over the back he tugged Ron closer and began pointing. " do you always come back late with your hair ruffled and your shirt noticeably unbuttoned ?" Harry fell back into the couch, laughter pressing at his lips.

" I don't understand what you're getting- " Ginny's eyes went wide. " Oh my gosh. " Turning towards Ron she covered her mouth with her hand. " You? And Hermione? When? Oh my gosh! She didn't tell me!" Gathering her blank parchments from the floor she jumped from the couch. " I cant believe she didn't tell me!" Running around the side of the couch Ginny wrapped her arms tightly around her brother. " This is so exciting!" Pulling back she punched him in the arm.

"Ow, what in bloody hell was that for?" He rubbed at the tender spot.

"That's for not telling me sooner, you git." Turning quickly on her heel she made a bee line for the door. "I'm going to go see Hermione. I'll see you guys later."

"She's a wildfire that one." Ron shook his head, his arm still sore from his sisters jab.

Ginny, a very smiley Ginny, emerged from the painting with a cry of joy. She had been expecting for the two to get together eventually, but she had always hoped that Hermione would spill it to her right away. Hell it didn't matter. Her brother had finally gotten together with the girl he had been dreaming about since second year. Now Ginny wouldn't have to hear about it all summer long.

"Oh drat." The parchment she had been carrying flew from her hands, and billowed down the staircase.

"Need help?"

Pausing at the first step Ginny smiled at the voice. "Hey you took off in such a hurry I didn't know what to make of it. Everything ok?" She leaned against the banister and smiled at Willow.

"Oh, well you know. Sometimes there's just no time for explanations." She grinned and placed her hand on her hip.

Folding her arms across her chest she chuckled. "You look way better than when we were up in the dorm. I mean you don't look as down as you did earlier. Clear your mind or something?"

"You can say that." A smirk rose to the corner of her lips. "Hey Weasley, quick question for you."

"Huh?" Uncrossing her arms she arched her eyebrow. "Willow you just called me Weasley."

"Yeah I suppose I did. Anyway, here's the question." Willow took a few advancing steps, her face inches from Ginny. " What would be the one reason why a wizard wouldn't use the killing curse?"

"Well that's easy, the dark mark appears above the spot when the curse is completed. It's a dead giveaway. Why?" An uneasy knot formed in the bottom of Ginny's stomach.

"Oh. No reason really. Its just that you'd think they learn that breaking necks works just as dandy." With a shove, Willow smiled as she watched Ginny crash down the entire flight of stairs.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You sure about this?" Dawn, huffed as she lifted the box from the closet.

"Believe me Dawnie, as much as I hate doing this, it really needs to be done. Besides Willow will so thank us when she eventually gets back." Buffy picked up another box and took a few steps towards the bed.

With a loud clatter the bottom of the box fell out, and the contents of the box spilled across the floor. "Crap." Buffy tossed the now empty box onto the bed. "Dawn help me"

"Uh…little help here first." Stumbling slightly, Dawn gripped tightly onto the box.

"Hah give me that." Buffy grinned as she took the large box from Dawn's arms. "I thought you said you've been working out. Ya know, getting ready to fight off the forces of evil."

Gripping her arms Dawn shook her head. " I said I was ready to fight off hell beasties, not refurnish Willow's bedroom. Who would have guessed that those bottles of herbs were so damn heavy."

Buff rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Am not!" Picking up a Wiccan text Dawn hurled it at Buffy.

Chuckling lightly Buffy knocked the book to the floor and stuck out her tongue. "Are."

"Not!"

"Um, sorry to interrupt the Summers annual verbal bash, but Giles needs to see you both downstairs." Xander leaned his body against the door frame.

"What's the what, Xan?" Placing another box by the door, Buffy brushed off her hands and placed them firmly on her hips.

"Something about Willow, something about school, oh and there's this really weird looking guy downstairs who has an odd resemblance to Santa Claus." He shrugged.

Without waiting a second longer, Buffy pushed quickly past Xander and took the staircase two at a time. Whatever, scratch that, whoever this guy ended up being, it didn't settle well in Buffy's stomach that he was here in Sunnydale. If he a faculty member of Willow's school, would that mean she did something wrong? Were they going to send her to that Azkaban place? The awful ideas swirled in her head, and Buffy didn't slow her steps until she halted in the kitchen entrance.

Well when Xander said this guy was weird he really wasn't exaggerating. The man stood at about Giles height, though the pointy hat he was wearing made him appear a bit taller. His clothing, a robe of sorts, was a dark shade of blue velvet that cascaded down his back with such beauty. For a brief second she flickered her eyes to his own, and watched how they twinkled behind the half-moon glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose. Perhaps the most noticeable feature this stranger had was his massive beard of snowy white that was tucked into his belt.

"Don't stare, he's the headmaster of Willow's school. " Dawn hissed in her ear.

"Huh?" Buffy scrunched her nose and shot Dawn a quizzical expression.

"I believe she said that I am the Headmaster of Ms. Rosenbergs school, and I must say she is indeed correct." The man smiled warmly towards Dawn. Pulling out a chair and taking a seat next to Giles he ushered the others towards the empty seats around the table. "Please, please have a seat all of you. Ms. Summers I presume?" His eyebrow arched towards Buffy as she pulled out the chair opposite him.

"Uh, yeah that's me." She quickly shot Giles a glance but received nothing but a nod to take her seat. "And you, Mr. Headmaster of Willows school, you mind telling me why you're here and not in class?"

Dumbledore chuckled, turning slightly in his seat towards Giles. "You're quite right Rupert, she doesn't hesitate to find the points. Good quality, really. No wonder you are the oldest slayer in history." He opened his cloak and pulled out a small bag of yellow balls. "Lemon drop?" He offered them towards Xander first who quickly declined.

"Ooh! I'll take one. Never could resist candy." Dawn reached across the table to take one but Buffy swatted at her hand.

"Don't be rude Dawnie."

"Hey if anyone's being rude its you. I just want some candy." Reaching over again she took a few and popped them quickly into her mouth. "Thank you Headmaster. To be honest…" She swirled the candy in her mouth. " I would have much rather sampled a chocolate frog, or whatever they're called, but this is totally fine."

"I see you have been reading those books Ms. Rosenberg has sent you. " He smiled again, folding his hands together on the table top.

"Look, I don't really mean to be short, but why are you here exactly? Had Willow done something wrong?" The beating of Buffy's heart was pulsing so fast she was almost sure that it was going to beat right out of her chest.

"Willow is coming along fine. She has quickly excelled in many of her studies, and a few of our hardest Professors have already ceased her study sessions. I dare say that Ms. Rosenberg is giving our top student Ms. Granger a run for her money."

"Willow knows Hermione Granger!?" Dawn squeaked with delight, but she calmed once all eyes turned to her in sudden shock. "Oh….sorry. I meant to tell you that I've been reading a lot about, well, about everything. Hermione Granger is friends with Harry Potter, the boy who lived, right Headmaster?"

Dumbledore chuckled again. "You know Ms. Summers with such a thirst for wizarding knowledge I'm surprised you weren't sent a letter when you were eleven."

Dawns enthusiastic smile quickly faded. Dropping her eyes to the floor, she shrugged, "Yeah, well it would have been kinda hard since I wasn't alive until two years ago." Pushing from the table she caught Buffy's concerned stare before pointing towards the staircase. "I'm- I'm just gonna head upstairs for awhile. " Before anyone had the chance to object Dawn flew from the table and up the stairs.

"Sorry about that Albus. Dawn, well as I'm sure you are aware, Dawn is a special case." Removing his glasses from his face he wiped them once over with his handkerchief.

"The key. I had forgotten that this was the very same house in where it lives." Dumbledore turned his attention towards the staircase.

"It, has a name, and is not the key anymore. Dawn is my sister, and now thanks to you, we are going to have to bore into her brain again that she shouldn't worry about the past." Buffy grumbled, already wishing that this jerk would just get on with it, or get out.

"Please Ms. Summers. Everyone is entitled to their mistakes. I apologize for bringing up foul memories, but this is neither the time nor place to dwell on it. I am here today to speak to you about Ms. Rosenberg." Pushing back from the table Dumbledore hovered over the lot of them. " Before Ms. Rosenberg entered the school, it was of great concern to the staff that her presence would no doubt bring about many questions from our students. Of course our suspicions had been correct, mostly because Willow was already highly advanced in her magics. Now Rupert here along with Mr. Ollivander had informed me that when Willow received her wand it cast out the Red Cloud of Peril. We in the wizarding world have not seen that cloud for many years. The last man to have that sort of power held within him was the dark lord himself, Lord Voldemort. Which is where Willow's safety has become a concern for me. " Waving his hand towards the sink Buffy watched as a empty glass quickly filled with water and the levitated over to Dumbledores hand. He sipped it, pausing and then sipped again, finally placing the glass back on the table. "Voldemort is an intelligent wizard. A very powerful intelligent wizard. Now when that cloud was cast, it has no doubt triggered a sign to the Dark Lord that there is another who walks among us who wields the power he has. His intentions, I have no doubt, will be to seize Ms. Rosenberg and as far as his plans after that, well we can only hope that he does not succeed."

"But I thought Hogwarts was the safest- "

"Please, Ms. Summers, let me finish." He reached for the glass again and took another quick sip of water. " Already tonight there has been an accident. I have informed my deputy Headmistress to keep things under control until my return, but I knew things had to be settled here first. Buffy, despite your lack of magic abilities, and your knowledge of the wizarding world, you have prophetic dreams, yes?"

Buffy's mouth dropped open. "Yes, well- I…sometimes they're wrong."

"But you have them nonetheless. Now tell me, have you been recently dreaming of strange places…strange people?"

Again her mouth hung wide open and she mutely nodded.

"I thought so. You see, your advanced mind would certainly be an asset to us in times such as this. There is another in our school, the boy whom Dawn mentioned earlier, Harry Potter. He has these dreams as well, but often his get clouded over for a plethora of reasons. Ms. Summers, I am inviting you, insisting you help us save our world, and yours from the clutches of Lord Voldemort. Your presence would surely lift the spirits of many people in the Order, and your strength would be a boost and comfort to Willow. All I ask is that you come back to Hogwarts with me, and we can discuss things further there."

"You want me to go with you to a wizarding school, help you defeat a powerful wizard with my dreams, and keep Willow from turning into one herself? Buffy quirked an eyebrow.

Dumbledore smiled. "Precisely."

A long silent pause swept through the room. Both Xander and Giles had their eyes fixed on Buffy, and Dawn, who had been cleverly hiding at the top of the stairs, took a quick inward breath. Leaving for Europe would mean a lot of things for the Scooby gang. Someone, perhaps Angel, would have to take on patrol here in Sunnydale. Dawn would have to start up at another school in a foreign country, and even Buffy herself would have to get accustomed to the new world she would be thrusting herself into. Was it worth it? After all she had absolutely no idea about any of this junk. Her specialty was vampires, and hell beasts, not evil wizards who wanted to rule the world! She didn't have a single clue about these things, and most of all she didn't know any magic! How was she supposed to help out with something that large when she still had trouble convincing Dawn that she was indeed a real human. So that settled it.

Clicking her tongue to the roof of her mouth, Buffy's mind shifted to the man in her dreams but only for a brief second. Why it did, well she wasn't entirely sure, but then again she wasn't entirely sure why the hell she was about to do this.

"Well…I suppose we should start packing then."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Commotion filled the corridor below him, as Harry emerged from the Gryffindor common room. He had been meaning to head towards the library to find Ginny and Hermione, but the sudden crowd in front of him seemed that much more exciting.

"Filtch said he saw her do it, and then she just took off down the staircase." Neville Longbottom looked shaky, but continued talking with Colin Creevey. " I heard they can't wake her up…I don't suppose, no. She isn't. I wont believe it until I hear it myself."

"Suppose they'll ship her off to Azkaban for attempted murder?" Colin chipped in before Harry squeezed between them.

"What's the big crowd about, and whose going to Azkaban?" Harry narrowed his eyes as he tried to get a better look between the heads of others.

"Rosenberg. Well she- Oi Harry, you better get Ron. I didn't even think…gosh. I'll go get him." Neville turned to leave but Harry grasped him by the sleeve of his robe.

"Why? What's going on?"

But before Neville could even answer Hermione, breathless, came rushing up to Harry. "Harry! Oh my word! They think she's dead! Harry they think Ginny is dead!"

"What!" At that Harry violently pushed by a few people in front of him, disregarding the little first year who whimpered as she was thrown against the banister.

At the bottom of the staircase, sandwiched in between McGonagall and Filtch, Ginny's body lay limp upon the ground.

"Filtch is swearing he saw Willow do it. Says she pushed Ginny down the stairs and when he tried to nab her she took off." Hermione whispered in Harry's ear. "Harry…she'll be all right wont she?"

Harry's anger surged through him so rapidly he barely heard the last thing Hermione said. Mutely he nodded, taking another couple of steps towards Ginnys body.

"Keep back Potter, just stay where you are. " McGonagall halted him with her hand.

"But Professor, Ginny's my-"

"Ginny!" Harry turned towards Ron's frantic voice. He saw the red bobbing head weave through a few people before he burst through the crowd and next to Harry. "She's not, is she?" The tears ran steadily down his face, and Harry, doing the only thing he could think of, placed his hand on Ron's shoulder and gave a squeeze.

"She'll be fine. Don't you worry. Gin is tough."

"See Professor! See the things that happen when you let these creatures roam the corridors by themselves. Especially an outsider! An American! Now one of our students is dead because she-"

"No!" Ron pushed forward, throwing himself across Ginny's limp body. "No, Ginny. You cant go, please don't."

There was a murmur growing steadily in the crowd, and Harry glanced over at the many pointed fingers of various students. There, climbing the staircase was Willow accompanied by Malfoy. Harry sneered. They had trusted her! They had let her pal around in hopes of making her feel better and this was how she repaid them. This was the type of student Dumbledore wanted in Hogwarts. His eyes flashed towards Ginny, Ron still flung across her body. It was then that Harry's sense had blown out the window, and reaching for his wand he pointed it straight at her.

"Stop!" He shouted, now students began pointing between Harry and Willow.

"Potter what is the meaning of this?!" Professor McGonagall's voice boomed but Harry remained firm in his standing.

"She killed my friend!" His voice hissed.

Willow on the other hand, stared blankly at the faces who were staring at her. Had he just said that she killed someone? Oh my god?! Was Harry friends with Warren? No, that was impossible. Her eyebrow arched, and she turned her attention towards Professor McGonagall. Then she noticed it. Ginny's body was sprawled out on the ground, her legs twisted in directions that they shouldn't have been twisted.

"I-I didn't do that. I couldn't…I- Ginny was my friend." Her eyes welled with tears, and she looked over at Draco in desperation.

Draco, took in the situation with wide eyes. How in the world could Willow have been blamed for this. She had been with him the whole time. No, Ginny fell down the stairs by mistake. She'd come out of this fine and then clear the mistake.

"Liar! Filthy liar! I saw you! I saw you push her down the stairs. You and that red hair of yours. Cant miss it." Filtch growled, Mrs. Norris slinking slowly around his feet.

"Professor McGonagall, I swear I didn't do it. I was with Draco the whole evening. I swear it."

"She's a liar Professor! She killed my sister! Call the Ministry before I kill her myself." Ron choked from the floor, his hands numbly running over Ginny's face.

"Rosenbergs telling the truth Professor. We were out on the pitch. She was with me the entire time." Draco stepped up, his eyes fixed on Harry and his wand.

"Oh yeah. Cause your word is so trustworthy Malfoy." Hermione spat, flicking some tears from her cheeks.

"Enough!" Another voice came from the landing below, and most head craned to see who was there. " You will all go back to your dormitories immediately." Professor Dumbledore, looking as though he just returned from a trip, strode up the staircase. "All of you get on now. Except you three…" he motioned towards Harry, Hermione and Ron. " and you two…" He glanced over at Willow and Draco. As the crowd slowly dispersed, Dumbledore shooed Ron out of the way, and began examining Ginny. "Now, what happened."

"It was her Headmaster! I saw it with my own two eyes! She's the one who killed Ms. Ginny Weasley, it was her!" Filtch pointed his decrepit finger across the hall and scowled at the witch.

Harry's mouth went dry as he looked over at Hermione. This couldn't be happening. He watched Willow as she shook her head, Draco taking his hand and running it along her arm. It certainly was gross to see him comfort someone, or at least attempt to.

"No, Argus. Ms. Weasley is fine. Minerva," he turned his eyes towards her. " Go to Poppy. Tell her what's happened and tell her to prepare a bed." Mcgonagall nodded and went off in the direction of infirmary.

Ron's red-rimmed eyes looked hopeful a this. "You mean she isn't dead."

"Of course not Mr. Weasley." Standing up, Dumbledore flicked his hands over Ginny's body and they watched as it levitated from the ground. "Now I would like all of you to meet me at the entrance to my office. I'm just going to bring Ms. Weasley to Madam Pomfrey so she can get the attention she needs, and don't look at me like that Ron, once we are done you will be free to check on your sister. Off you go." And with Ginny's body floating behind him, Dumbledore made way for the infirmary.

"Ron…Harry, I swear I didn't do it. I really was with Malfoy the whole time." Willow's words slipped out through her choked sobs.

Harry on the other hand merely sneered. "We can discuss this with Dumbledore." He turned, ushering Hermione and Ron to follow him.

Willow sighed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. It was at this moment that she was taken back because Draco took her hand and began leading her after Harry and the others. His grip did not slip from hers, but his eyes never left the back of Harry's head. In a way it was comforting to have him there beside her, but on the other hand it only worsened her friendship with her housemates. Would they ever trust her again?

"Don't you worry about this, Willow. I'll vow about where we were until I'm blue in the face."

"Oh and I'm sure your word along with Murder Magee over there is really going to prove her innocence." Ron snapped over his shoulder.

"Sod off Weasel."

They continued the rest of their journey in silence, stopping once when Hermione got stuck on a changing staircase. When they finally reached the statue to Dumbledore's office, he was already waiting there with a smile on his lips.

"Follow me. Fizzing Lava Rocks." They waited while the door appeared, and then followed Dumbledore up the spiral staircase.

Once inside they all sat down while Dumbledore removed his cloak. The silence was eating at Willow, and she prayed that the smile on the Headmasters face was a sign that she wouldn't be heading to Azkaban tonight.

"Now, Ginny is awake and receiving healing potions from Madam Pomfrey in the hospital. So as far as that is concerned you should all know she is going to be fine. As for how she got to the bottom of the staircase, well that is the matter we must take up now."

"Why discuss it? She did it!" Ron pointed an accusing finger towards Willow.

"No I didn't" Willow yelled, which was closely followed by Draco's "No she didn't."

"As a matter of fact Ron, both Ms. Rosenberg and Mr. Malfoy are telling the truth. Willow was not the one to push Ginny down the stairs."

Harry's jaw clenched. "Then why would Filtch-er- Mr. Filtch state that he saw her do it? Why would he accuse someone of something to that caliber? "

"Looks can be deceiving Harry. You of all people should know that. The three of you in fact should know that." There was a twinkle in Dumbledores eye and Hermione, the first to catch onto his hint, let out a soft 'oh'. "You see when Ginny woke up in the infirmary just now the first thing she said to me was that someone had disguised themselves to look like Ms. Rosenberg. Your sister is quite clever Ron." At this Ron smiled. "You see the person had addressed Ginny by Weasley, which is not what Willow addresses Ginny by. Ginny said that Willow only calls her Ginny, or sometimes Little Red, apparently after a muggle character." Willow smiled. "So you see Harry, Ron…Willow did not push Ginny down the staircase, nor did she do anything else that deserves such rude behavior. I advise you to think about times when your names had been slandered in gossip, and recall just how that made you feel."

Both Harry and Ron lowered their heads and in unison they apologized. "Sorry."

"Now as for you two," he moved his gaze towards Willow and Draco. "Did you notice anything funny while you were out on the grounds. Anything suspicious that you can think of?" His white bushy eyebrow arched.

Willow thought for a moment. Besides her own ordeal with Draco there had not been anything strange outside. Unless of course you counted that man whom she ran into.

The man!

"Oh! Professor, there was a man! A strange man I ran into outside. He didn't tell me who he was, but he really irked me. I mean, he came out of nowhere and then headed towards the castle after I refused to listen to him anymore."

Dumbledore furrowed his brow. "What did this man look like? Can you recall?"

Draco, who had yet to let go of her hand, gave it a squeeze of reassurance. "Well…" she took a breath and tried to bring back his face. "I…it was dark. He was tall, had these piercing eyes. Oh! And a cane. He carried a cane."

Draco's heart sunk. His father carried a cane all the time. But why the hell would his father be at Hogwarts?

__

Her

"Well then its safe to say that an imposter is lurking among us. I will ask you all not to mention a word of this to anyone, except of course the clearing of Willow's name. For the time being you may all return to your dormitories. Ron, you are permitted to go see your sister, but do not stay longer than Madam Pomfrey allows. You know how irritated she can get when her patients arent resting." He chuckled. " I advise you all to get a goodnights sleep. Tomorrow will be quite hectic around here, and I will need everyone in tip top shape."

"Why sir? What's tomorrow?" Harry asked as he stood from his chair. The blurbs of information they had just learned still didn't settle easily in Harry's stomach, and as he waited for Dumbledores answer he found himself casting sideways looks at Willow.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts smiled, "Because tomorrow morning there will be five new additions to Hogwarts among us. Three teachers, a student and a history lesson."

So can anyone guess who the three teachers, the student and the history lesson are? I'll give you candy if you guess right.

Wow this chapter took me SOOOO long to get up. I must have deleted it like four million times until I thought it was ok. Well let me know what you think. More to come soon. Remember to review!!!!!


	6. Hey The Gangs All Here

**Disclaimer: **The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept. I do not own any Buffy stuff either, cause if I did I wouldn't have ended it at season 7.   
  
**Notes**: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at .   
  
**Quick Summary**: _He_ was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. _She_ was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.

Chapter 6 Hey The Gangs All Here

"You reckon that these visitors have something to do with little miss redhead?" Blaise pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it casually onto the floor.

Draco, upon returning from the escapade in Dumbledores office, had told his friends just the minor details of the evening. No where did he mention the fiasco on the pitch, or the fact that the man who might have polyjuiced himself into Willow was his father. Those details he decided to keep to himself until he could figure them out clearly on his own.

"I suppose it's a possibility. I mean who else would he be bringing here? There's really no reason for some more teachers, and a student. We've already completed four weeks of classes and he expects some student to jump on in without a problem?" Draco shook his head. "Sometimes I really think Dumbeldore is getting to old for his job. The guy is a tad batty."

"So what were you doing with Willow?" Lawrence plopped onto his bed and propped his head up with his hands. "I mean did you get a chance to discuss with her those things that needed discussing?"

"Or did you spend all your time shagging her?" A voice popped up from behind the bed curtains.

"Shut it Haddock. Honestly is that all you think about?" Blaise sneered before climbing into his own bed.

"Actually...yes is it. Is there anything else worth thinking about? I mean come on that new witch is scorching hot." The curtains to his bed were drawn, but when Ethan spoke they fluttered slightly around him.

"Actually there are a hell of a lot of things that are far more important. You're just to daft to actually note them." Draco drawled, slipping into his own bed with a sneer. God how he hated the prat.

"Oh come off it Malfoy. You alone have had your share of girls around here. Don't you tell me that the thought hasn't crossed your mind at least once." His curtains fluttered again and Draco could only imagine the smirk that plastered Ethan's face.

"Sod off Haddock." It was the last words spoken before they heard his muffled snores from behind the curtains. Good, at least now he was asleep.

"So come on...tell us. What happened out there? I mean is she the reason for all your weird dreams?" Blaise quirked his eyebrow. " After all that commotion up by Gryffindor tower there must be some sort of odd vibe about her. Did she really push the weasel down the stairs?"

"No and no…" Draco shook his head, his body leaning back against his pillow. "No she isn't the reason for my dreams, though I still don't understand why her name was in my fathers office, and no she didn't push the weasel down the stairs. Like I said I was with her the whole time."

"So did you push her down the stairs?" Lawrence yawned.

"No." He replied firmly, the questioning from his friends becoming tiresome. "Look tomorrow we are going to have a chat with Mia. We need to discuss future plans and the lot of other things that have been going on. By that time we will see who the new visitors are, and somehow hash out how they are all connected. Till then…" He drew the curtains around his bed. "I'm going to sleep. Night." He voiced out curtly before lying back into his bed and shutting his eyes for the evening.

He was walking again. The corridor dim and cold from the drafty windows. His footsteps echoed in the hall, and he glanced over his shoulder casually for some sign of life. From the look of things he was in Hogwarts, down a corridor he wasn't quite familiar with. It was an odd sensation to be wandering around these halls in his dreams, but anything was better than being stuck in his fathers dreary study.

He turned the corner, heading down a flight of stairs and into another unfamiliar corridor. This one was lit with flickering candles and towards the end he was quite certain there was a figure standing there. A girl. For a second he had hoped that it was the mysterious girl with the brown hair, but as he neared he knew that red hair from anywhere. Willow.

Slowly he walked towards her, her back to him as he neared. Not wanting to startle her he whispered.

"Willow?"

She didn't turn, instead her back remained to him and he wondered if he should just shout out her name after all. Hell it was his dream. Not like he could be caught by any Professor for being out late.

"Willow?" He called a little louder this time, her figure nearing with each step he took.

Something was strange about this. The finger he couldn't quite place, but something was strange. Wrong even.

The distance between them was merely an arms length, and slowly he reached out and grasped her shoulder. Coldness swept through him and he shuttered lightly.

"Willow, what's the matter?"

For awhile he just stood there, his hand gripping her shoulder firmly. The silence hissed through the corridor and out of fear he turned over his shoulder to check behind him. Nothing.

"He's coming."

Snapping his head back in her direction he frowned. "Whose coming? Willow would you face me for a second."

"He's coming here. Soon. You need to know." And she began to turn.

"Who? Willow what are you-" But his words caught in his throat when she faced him. Her eyes were glazed over with blackness, and the once rosy complexion had turned gaunt. It was as though life had been sucked from her and been replaced by death itself.

"Gods Willow, what the hell-" But he barely had time to get the words out before she pushed him away from her.

"I'm tainted. Cant you see it? Around me…its all around me…." Her voice was frantic and she swatted her hands furiously through the vacant air. "Its black…its power…he's coming for me. Run…" She pushed him further. A fuzzy light began to swarm around her and her plea grew louder. "RUN!"

So he ran. He bolted from the corridor just as he heard her fatal scream. Stopping in his tracks he looked back down the corridor where Willow had pushed him away. She wasn't alone anymore. Standing at her side was another figure, a tall figure masked in black. For a moment it grew far to bright to see where the figures stood, but as it dimmed his eyes adjusted and he took a quick breath. They two stood there facing him, and though he couldn't see who hid behind the dark hood he could clearly see the malicious smile grow on Willows face. He ran.

His footsteps pounded heavily on the staircase and he didn't dare look back to see if they were following. He turned, weaved down a few more corridors before finally making his way to the entrance hall. There was no one in sight, and the beating of his heart was no doubt creating the thudding noise that bounced loudly off the walls. He was trapped.

"Oh Draco…" Willow's voice cooed as she stood at the head of the stairs with the other figure. Her fingers idly twirled her wand and she laughed. "Why did you run off so soon? I have a friend for you to meet." She laughed again, her eyes darting towards the door behind him.

He turned, and there she stood. The brown haired girl that had been plaguing his dreams so often. Her denim jeans were torn and muddy, and her nose trickled with the faintest amount of blood. Still she stood there firmly behind him, a smile creeping to her face as she looked at him.

"You…" Was all he managed to get out.

"You." Willow mocked, throwing her head back in laughter. " Pathetic Malfoy. Truly pathetic. Too bad your slick wit cant save you now." She cackled, the hooded figure beside her cackling as well.

"No!" The brown haired girl flew to his side, and she took hold of his hand. A surge of happiness shot rapidly through his body and he felt his eyes widen. For a moment it felt as though all horrid emotion was washed from his body, and he wondered, was this happiness, could this possibly be undying love? No, how could he have fallen in love with the girl from his dream. It wasn't likely at all.

But as Willow pointed her wand towards the two, he had caught sight of her mouthing 'I love you' before the green sparks shot from Willows wand. The girl threw herself in front of Dracos body, and frozen in place he watched as she fell limp to the floor.

"No!" He shouted, the feeling of happiness slipping quickly away from him.

"Silly silly boy…silly silly boy…silly silly boy…"

Draco shot straight up in his bed, his body dripping with sweat. His hands were shaking terribly, and he had every intention on waking up the boys when something else came to the forefront of his mind. Without a moment of hesitation Draco slipped from his bed and tore from his dormitory. He only hoped that he'd be able to make it to the infirmary without getting caught.

He had been out late before, usually lurking through the dungeons just to blow off steam. However this time he needed to get to the infirmary. He needed to speak to Ginny. His bare feet thudded along, and when a noise sounded at the end of the corridor he jumped behind a statue to keep himself hidden. Professor Sprout hummed casually to herself as she slipped by him, unaware that he was even there. He held his breath until she rounded the corner and then once he regained his confidence he bolted again.

Up the stairs he flew, his body tired and growing considerably out of breath. For the life of him he couldn't understand why he was doing this, but his dream had been so real he needed to know. He needed to be certain.

Finally, after it felt like years had past, he reached the door to the infirmary and gripped the handle. By now Pomfrey would be asleep, and with any luck Ginny would be the only patient in the hospital at all. He didn't feel like tiptoeing around other sick students in the process of his mission. So slowly he slipped inside the infirmary, his breath caught in his throat. Just like he had hoped she was in there alone, sleeping peacefully in the second bed on the left. He shuffled quietly along the floor, his eyes darting across the room just to be sure of its vacancy. When all was confirmed clear he picked up his pace and ran to her side.

Her face was bruised slightly on the left side, and her right arm was bandaged and placed in a sling. From the looks of it she didn't seem as badly beaten up as he would have expected. The way her body was sprawled at the bottom of the stairs he was sure both legs would have been broken, but they seemed to be castless and moving as she turned on the bed.

Course he felt sodding awful to wake her up in such a state, but this was a matter of life and death. Normally he'd rather die than ask a Gryffindor for help, but what choice did he have really? He needed someone to get into the Gryffindor dormitories and Ginny was his only hope.

"Hey Weas- hey…Ginny….wake up" He nudged her slightly with his finger. She groaned, rolled over and continued to sleep. "Ginny, please wake up." He whispered a bit louder, and poked her a bit harder.

Ginny's eyes fluttered open slowly, and as she yawned she let out a squeak at the sight of him. "What!" But he had placed his hand over her mouth so quickly that she didn't have a chance to scream.

"I need your help. Now don't scream." His eyes pleaded with her own, and she nodded mutely. "I'm going to remove my hand now, but Ginny, this is a matter of life and death and I truly truly need your help. I wouldn't be here right now if this wasn't serious." And slowly, praying to Merlin that she wouldn't scream, he removed his hand.

"What do you want?" She hissed, slowly bringing herself up to a sitting position. "What sort of sick trick is this Malfoy?"

"It's Willow…I need-"

"I told Dumbeldore a thousand times. Willow didn't do it…why do you care? God if you came down here to interrogate me about the topic well go back to bed. I need my rest."

"Listen!" His voice grew firm. "I know Willow didn't do it. I was with her the entire time it happened. Now this is something completely different, so shut up and listen ok?" He didn't mean to be so harsh but time was growing short.

"Ok ok ok I'm listening ferret, go on."

God how he hated himself for coming to her. " I know this sounds funny, but I just had a dream. Don't roll your eyes, listen to me…Willow, she went all funny in my dream. Did some odd stuff, and well, look Ginny this was frighteningly real. I mean she went insane and - and killed someone. After everything that happened today…look can you walk?" She nodded. "I need you to come with me to Gryffindor and check in on her. Make sure she's still there. Ginny if my dream was some sort of window into reality Willow could be in grave danger."

"So you want me to check in on her? God Malfoy how daft do you think I am? You want me to waltz out of here with you in the middle of the night to check on Willow? You're off your rocker." She rolled her eyes.

"Ginny…please."

She paused, her eyes taking in the serious look in his. If it had been anyone else she would have agreed without a second thought, but this, well this was Malfoy. When did he give a damn about anyone unless it somehow benefited him? But that look, she had never seen him look so distraught over something. She had never seen him so concerned over someone else. Hell she had never EVER seen him ask a Gryffindor for help. Her heart sighed. "Ok, ok I'll go with you. But I swear if you breathe a word of this to my brother he will kill you and then he'll kill me. Honestly, me helping you is his worst nightmare. I can see it now…" she slipped from her bed and headed towards the door. " it wouldn't be pretty mark my words."

Together, in silence, the two unlikely pair crept up the stairs towards Gryffindor tower. Not wanting to stress any of her injuries he tried to keep his eagerness to a minimum but couldn't help the swiftness in his step. For awhile Ginny struggled to keep up, her legs still shaky from the fall, but she held her own, muttering to herself about helping the ferret. Draco smirked every now and then, wishing for a fleeting instant that Potty and Gang could see him walking the halls with the youngest weasel. Oh how heads would roll!

"Ok, now what?" She halted at the Gryffindor portrait. "You just want me to check in on her?"

"Yes, just look in and see if she's there. If she isn't then…well I'm afraid we will be heading to Dumbledores office."

"Yeah yeah yeah….turn around and cover your ears, will ya. I don't need you listening in to our password." Ginny shooed him away and then walked back towards the entrance. Whispering to the fat lady, 'Prior Incantato', she turned to him as the portrait swung open. "Just wait here." And then she was gone.

So he waited, and being the impatient person that he was, that wasn't easy. He began to pace the corridor, deciding what the best tactic would be if indeed Willow had disappeared. Hell he still didn't have a clue what it all meant if she was gone. Would it mean she had gone over to the dark side? Did his father get to her? Would she spill his secrets to his father? His mind spun a mile a minute that he didn't even notice Ginny's return.

"She's not there…"

"Huh?" He turned towards Ginny, his eyes struck with horror.

"She's gone. Her bed is empty and everything is tossed around like there was a struggle." She stepped out of the entranceway and took a few steps towards him.

"God…we need to go to Dumbledore. We need to warn him. Willow could be- why are you laughing?"

"Oh…oh you should see your face. Its priceless!" She chuckled, throwing her free arm to her forehead in laughter.

"What are you laughing about!" He advanced on her.

"Oh cool off Malfoy, Willow is sound asleep in her bed." She rolled her eyes. "You know if I had an icy bone in my body I'd report you in the morning, but since I'm far to tired, and could careless about your little relationship with Willow I'll let it slide. It's nice to see you care about someone beside yourself for once anyway." She shook her head, and then without a glance back she started down the stairs. "Goodnight Mal-Ferret."

"I hate that blasted family." He hissed through gritted teeth. Hell it was bad enough he had to put up with one Weasel, but why did the gods have to curse him with a gaggle?

Trudging barefoot down the stairs Draco scratched his head. Well, he was wrong about his dream, and Willow, though the dream had felt so real, was sound asleep in bed. The images in his head still remained unclear, but for now he decided that some sleep, minus the dreams, would really do him good. He'd deal with this in the morning. Perhaps after a nice breakfast….

Up in Gryffindor tower the dormitories were full of light snoring. Boys and girls alike were tucked tightly in their beds, dreams and visions whisking them off to far away places. It was deadly quiet, except of course the faint crackling of the dying fire. It was the only time when the Gryffindor tower was actually dull. It was the only time when the students could cast aside their worries for the time being and fall into a peaceful sleep. However Willow stared at the ceiling of her room with glassy eyes. True she could have said something to Ginny when the girl came in moments ago, but she had chosen to pretend she was asleep. After all how could she tell the girl that the nightmare that woke her was plagued with death. Death that she had once again caused.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Would you hurry up." Buffy dragged her suitcase along the platform with a sigh. The evening had consisted of much running around and she was in much need of a soft comfy bed.

Calling Angel and asking him to watch over Sunnydale for awhile was a chore. The vamp had huffed about leaving LA for a good half hour before she was able to convince him to take the job. Hell she was beginning to think that this idea was stupid after all. After Dumbledore had left in such a hurry she had helped Dawn and Xander pack their bags, packed her own things, and then rushed off to the crypt to find Spike. He, though she dreaded the thought, was invited for the getaway as well. Dumbeldore had insisted that they bring some muscle and knowledge, and since Spike was British, old, and well, vampy he would definitely be an asset to them. Still she hated the thought.

"We're moving as quick as we can Buff…" Xander huffed, his own trunk dragging behind him.

When they had finished gathering all there things together, and Giles gave the go ahead, the lot of them, including Spike flooed over to London in order to pick up a few essential things. Dawn for instance needed school books, Xander needed to exchange his American money and Buffy was instructed to check out a few of the local hangouts before they all went to get their wands. Mr. Ollivander, a terribly kind old man, had managed to find Dawns wand without a problem. However Buffy and Xander were a bit of a challenge. Forty seven boxes later, the three of them stuck their wands in their pockets and met up with Giles and Spike. Spike had been extremely jealous, claiming that he needed a wand more than anyone else, but after Buffy reminded him that a slip could cause it to pierce his heart the vamp scowled and remained quiet for a good ten minutes.

Things were rushed, but after it was all said and done they were ready to head to Hogwarts. Dumbeldore had said the train ride would last through the night, and by the time they arrived in the morning they would be introduced at breakfast.

Which brought them to now. The train had arrived late in Hogsmeade, and in the commotion of changing and grabbing their things the sun was already beginning to rise over the hills. The town of Hogsmeade was a quaint little town, and Buffy had to admit it seemed like a wonderful place to settle into. Then again anything was better than Sunnydale.

"Couldn't they have sent someone to pick us up?" Dawn whined, her newly bought robes billowing in the wind.

"Dumbeldore said that there would be a carriage at the end of the platform. If you'd all just calm down and carry your things we should- ah there it is." Giles grinned, nodding towards the end of the train platform.

A large carriage sat at the far end of the platform, and the group of them, even Spike gasped at the sight. Though it was rather hard for him to see from under the heavy black cloak he wore to keep his body hidden. Large horses with large wings stood at the very front. Their eyes were chalky white and the little skin they had clung to their bones. Dawn was the very first to speak.

"Oh! Thestrals!" She clasped her hands together and pointed. "I read about those too! Only people who have seen death can see them. Apparently they are really rare."

Buffy quirked her eyebrow at her sister. "When did you find the time to read up on all this mumbo jumbo?"

Dawn smiled. "Impressed?"

"Not really." Buffy chuckled and stepped down off the platform.

Once they loaded their belongings in the back of the carriage they climbed inside. Once they had settled into their seats barely a second past before the horses started off towards the castle. Buffy, Dawn and Xander squeezed onto one side of the carriage while Giles was stuck sitting next to Spike who had taken the liberty to feed at a pouch of blood he had brought along.

"You do realize that's disgusting?" Buffy sighed, shaking her head as he continued to eat.

"And you do realize that if I don't eat from this bag I'll be sucking at your neck tonight." After the words had left his mouth he quickly looked away.

"So, what did Dumbeldore say you will be teaching then?" Dawn flipped through one of her new Charms books, her wand spinning casually between the fingers of her right hand.

Xander puffed out his chest. "Well apparently old Dumblie thinks I'll make a nifty assistant to the potions Professor. He said since we've brewed our share of witchy potions with Will that I could help out there for the time being." He grinned, running his knuckles over his shirt.

"And I'll be book keeping in the library." Giles shot Xander and Buffy a look as they chuckled under their breath. "Seems as though wherever I go its always the library. Still I suppose I'll have ample time to catch up on my reading. Heaven knows its been years since I've been in the wizarding world."

"What about you Buffy?" Dawn flipped the page of the book, her eyes settling down on glamour charms.

"Well there's this class that the kids take. Defense Against the something or other."

"Dark Arts." Dawn corrected.

"Yeah whatever. Well he said that they learn defense spells and things in there, but he wants to take their double class and split it into two. The first half of the class will be spent learning the magical parts and the second half, which I will be teaching, will actually be combat." She grinned, "Should be fun kicking some kids around." But her laughter faded as Giles gave her a stern look. "Joke Giles, ha ha, get it?"

"Sounds fun." Dawn tapped her fingers along the edge of the book. "He never actually said where I'll be placed but I guess he'll let me know once we arrive…which it looks like we just have…woah…" Dawn stuck her head out of the carriage window. "Pictures don't do it justice."

Xander whistled, his eyes widening as the castle came into view. "Holy underwear batman."

"Wonder what the property tax is on this place?" Buffy murmured as the carriage came to a halt. The doors opened magicaly on their own and they stepped out into the morning sun.

"Welcome, welcome, honored guests." Dumbledore clasped his hands together and descended from the staircase. "I do hope your journey wasn't too tiring." his eyes twinkled.

"Quite pleasant Albus, thank you." Reaching for his bag Giles smiled.

"Oh no, wait wait wait. I'll help you with that." A tiny little man rushed out from behind Dumbeldore and whipped his wand from his pocket. Muttering some words they watched as their belongings rose into the air and headed into the castle on their own.

"You definitely will have to teach me that one." Buffy grinned at the tiny figure.

"Professor Flitwick, meet Alexander Harris, Dawn Summers, Rupert Giles whom you already know, and of course the slayer herself, Buffy Summers." Dumbeldore grinned.

"What about me?" Voiced a figure from beneath the heavy black cloak.

Dumbledore smiled. "And under there we have William, or well better known as Spike."

"Oh!" Flitwick squeaked disregarding everything Dumbledore had said about Spike, "The actual slayer! How exciting!" Rushing towards her he extended his hand. "it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Summers."

"Yes, painfully exciting." Another voice hissed from Dumbledores side. Snape stood there, his arms folded tightly across his chest. "Not that I want to break up this little hoopla but the children are beginning to come down into the hall."

Buffy eyed the man suspiciously. Hell she had encountered a lot of funny looking fellas in her life, but this one definitely took the cake. Every inch of him oozed with the look of evil, but Dumbeldore had done nothing more than smile at the man.

"Very well Severus, we will be in momentarily." He ushered Snape away, and chuckled as Spike took off after him, a slight amount of smoke beginning to appear from beneath the cloak. "Now, you will all join us in the Great Hall before I give you the itinerary for the day. Dawn you will follow us in and feel free to take a seat at any of the tables. I will address the school to your arrival and I trust you will be able to keep up with the little story I've concocted." He grinned.

"Of course, sir." Dawn nodded eagerly.

"Then follow me please."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Harry yawned as he took his seat between Ron and Neville at the Gryffindor table. The night had been restless as his dreams were once again plagued by Voldemort. At least when he woke this morning his scar didn't throb with enormous pain. No, instead he was just incredibly tired and he scratched his head before reaching for the container of pumpkin juice.

"Rough night, Harry?" Hermione questioned as she sprinkled her oatmeal with some cinnamon sugar.

"Just a bit." Pouring himself a glass of the juice he took a quick sip as some distant hooting grew louder.

"Morning post…" Neville mumbled, his mouth partially full of toast.

It was airborne chaos as the owls swooped through the air and delivered the packages and letters to there rightful owners. The letters and packages soared through the air, and Neville groaned as he was given a letter from his grandmother.

"Thought she sort of ease of sending these letters since we're seventeen now…." He rolled his eyes and unfolded the parchment.

"Hey Harry….isn't that Hedwig?" Ron pointed through the mass of owls towards the white snowy one that had just flown through the window.

"Reckon it is…" Harry placed his fork down and smiled as Hedwig came to land on his shoulder. Reaching up and untying the parchment from his leg Harry tossed Hedwig a bit of toast before the owl flew off into the air again.

"Who is it from?" Hermione leaned over, her chin pressed into the palm of her hand.

Harry didn't waste a moment unfolding the parchment and reading the contents. " Its Sir- Snuffles."

"What's he want?" Ron's eyes grew wide, the piece of bacon in his hand dropping to the plate.

Before Harry had a chance to answer the doors to the Great Hall flew open and Dumbledore stood smiling in the entranceway. He couldn't make out the faces behind him, but it was clear that the visitors he had mentioned last night had finally arrived. As they made their way up the center aisle towards the head table, Harry observed the girl to the very front. Blonde, petite, hell she looked about Willow's age, and he was certain he recognized her from somewhere before.

"Do we know her?" Harry pointed to the girl in the front.

"Don't think so." Ron shrugged, pointing to the girl with the brown hair. "Wish we knew her though." Hermione elbowed him hard in his side. "I was kidding Hermione." He rubbed at his side.

"No kidding." Harry watched as the younger girl split from the group and took an available seat at the Hufflepuff table next to Hannah Abbot.

The rest of them made there way to the front of the room and took the three available seats at the end of the head table. Dumbeldore smiled at Professor McGonagall and picking up her spoon she tapped on the side of her glass.

"Attention please." Her voice rang through the hall and everyone's eyes eagerly darted towards Dumbeldore.

"Students if you would all settle down I'd like to make an announcement." Clasping his hands together Dumbeldore nodded his head towards the visitors. "Students I'd like for you to greet a few new additions to the Hogwarts staff. Please give a warm welcome to Rupert Giles, Alexander Harris and Ms. Buffy Summers. Mr. Giles will be assisting Madam Pince in the library for the duration of the school year. While Mr. Harris will be assisting Professor Snape in the potions lab." There were a few muffled groans. " And finally Ms. Summers will be starting a new lesson plan in your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. As you all know Professor Jansen will continue to teach the first portion of the class in which you will learn your magic work, while the second class will be taught by Ms. Summers where she will teach you simple combat tactics. " The whispering among the students picked up, and McGonagall tapped the side of her glass again. "Now now, one more moment please." Dumbeldore grinned. " I would also like to extend a welcome to Ms. Dawn Summers, sister to Ms. Summers, previously she has attended the Salem Institute for Witches, but due to her sisters gracious acceptance to Hogwarts she will be finishing the school year here as a sixth year. She will not be sorted into a specific house, instead she will follow the curriculum that I have created and dorm in one of our guest areas with her sister. "

Hannah Abbot had already taken the liberty to shake Dawns hand, and Harry could see the sheer excitement plastered along the girls face. In a way he wished the girl had come and taken a seat at the Gryffindor table. Something like this was a nice change of pace at Hogwarts, and Harry wouldn't mind killing the thoughts of Voldemort for a little while.

"Wonder what American witchcraft is like. I mean I hear they do things quite different over there." Hermione had whispered softly.

"Well once Ginny gets out of the infirmary we'll ask her to bring the girl around. I mean they're in the same year so I'm sure Ginny wont mind. Besides that girl loves to make new friends." Ron went back to eating as Dumbledore finally took his seat.

Harry watched as the teachers became instantly engulfed in conversation and he wondered what exactly they could be talking about. What in the world had possessed Dumbeldore to bring in a combat teacher? If the war between the light and dark ever broke out there wouldn't be a need for physical combat. They'd just need to have the strength to perform the unforgivable curses and hopefully they'd all live.

"Guess we'll have our first dose of combat class today." Hermione brushed the crumbs from her robe and stood from the table. " I don't know about you guys, but I'm actually looking forward to it. I mean if your going to learn from anyone you might as well learn from the best."

"And how do you know she's the best?" Ron challenged her.

"I swear. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who pays attention in class. " She rolled her eyes. "Last year in Professor Binn's class we spoke about her, honestly you'd think you'd remember someone as important as the slayer." She shook her head in disapproval. "We even mentioned her two weeks ago in Jansen's class. He said she is the oldest slayer in history. She's the only one to ever survive three apocalypses, defeat a God, and conquer the Gentlemen, you do remember when we spoke about them don't you?" She eyed them both. " Oh and she's come back from the dead twice. Well see you all in Charms, Im heading off to Ancient Runes."

Harry's mouth was gapped open and he tossed a look towards the Professors table. That was the slayer? The chosen one? She was here in Hogwarts and she was going to teach them how to fight?

Harry couldn't even find the words to express the mixture of emotion he was feeling. In fact the only thing he heard as he stared at the girl was Ron mumbling 'wicked' repeatedly under his breath.

Draco was far to busy discussing the idea of running to India with Mia when the visitors first arrived. When the owls had arrived seconds earlier she had received a letter from her father instructing her that her initiation would be over the holiday break. Draco had tossed out the idea that they all take off for another country just to buy some time, but Lawrence and Blaise didn't think that was such a good idea. After all if their parents eventually found them they'd be in for it ever more than they'd be if they just turned down the dark mark.

"Woah." Blaise nudged Draco in the side. "Forget about India mate, check out our new teacher."

Draco lifted his eyes towards the front of the room and whistled under his breath. "Well it looks like I'll be getting a bit of- wait a second. I know her." Draco squinted his eyes at the girl. He had definitely seen her somewhere before. The blonde hair, the tiny frame, hell even the chap who was sitting next to her looked familiar. Then it dawned on him. "Hey, those are friends of Willows."

"How do you know?" Lawrence quirked an eyebrow towards the front of the room, his eyes flickering over towards the older man who continued to clean his glasses as though they were continuously dirty.

"Oh - I- well there were pictures she had with her yesterday. I saw a few and well-" He broke off again as Armina gagged.

"Holy Merlin above, that girl is the slayer!" She covered her mouth quickly, not realizing how loud she had just spoken. " Don't you remember Binns talking about her last year? Kept going on and on about her and in fact he showed us that blurry American muggle photo of her. Course that photo made her forehead really wide and gave her a lot of fuzzy gray spots on her cheeks…"

"Wait," Draco looked at the girl then back to Mia, "Your positive that she is the slayer? You're telling me that Willow was friends with the slayer?"

Mia nodded mutely.

"Well it explains a lot." Draco wiped his hand across his face.

"And the new student…she's the slayers sister?" Lawrence pointed through the heads at the Gryffindor table towards a brown haired girl at Hufflepuff.

"Reckon that's who Dumbledore is pointing to. Must be a something to have your sister the slayer and be a witch. Lots of magic in that family." Armina shrugged, picking up an apple and taking a bite.

Draco craned his neck towards the girl. Hell he gave her a lot of credit for switching schools in the sixth year. It must have been hard to leave her friends behind and start over in a completely different country. He watched as she flung her hair over her shoulder, casting her head back and laughing with some stupid Hufflepuff. God she was beautiful. And at that, a pang in his stomach caused his jaw to drop slightly.

"Gonna stare at her all day?" Blaise chuckled.

"Huh?" He tore his eyes away from her and gave Blaise a look.

"You're drooling over that girl."

"I most certainly am not." Draco leaned over and grabbed his bag from the floor. "Look you guys can laugh all you want but I'm heading out of here. See you all in Potions." And with a swift movement he was through the doors and gone. As they closed behind him he leaned back against the wall and let out a breath. It was one thing to learn that the friend Willow was so fond of was the slayer. It explained so much of the visions he saw when she forced them through his eyes. He was prepared for a surprise when the visitors arrived this morning, but what he wasn't prepared for was the sister of the slayer to end up being the girl that had been plaguing his dreams each night.

"Draco?"

"Willow!" He snapped his eyes to the side, Willow standing there beside Professor Trelawney.

"I- um well Professor Trelawney says that Dumbledore has a surprise for me. Says I cant go inside till he says so."

Draco smiled, his heart going out to the defeated girl. This would be good for her. This would be a blessing. He just couldn't stick around to see that girl. At least not now.

"It's a grand surprise. You wait and see." He gave Professor Trelawney a slight nod before heading back down to the dungeons.

Dawn was glad that she chose the Hufflepuff table to sit at. The girl to her left, Hannah Abbot, was extremely nice and had already offered to take her around the school once they had a break from classes. True the girl was a year older, and finding a break together would be a nuisance ,but Dawn was happy regardless of the situation.

When they had first entered the Great Hall she stole a look towards Gryffindor and caught sight of the infamous Harry Potter sitting there with his friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. It took all of the strength not to run to him and ask him to sign her arm in permanent quill ink. She could only imagine the look of horror Buffy would have given her if she had done that.

When Dumbledore announced that she had attended the Salem Institute Dawn chuckled briefly to herself. It took only a moment before two boys across from her began interrogating her about going to an all girls school. Perverts.

"Oh, it's a shame you'll be in sixth year." Hannah sipped at her butterbeer. "It would have been fun to show you around between classes. No bother though, " She threw a piece of bread towards a figure not to far down. " I'll have Terence show you around." A boy with messy blonde hair lifted his head up from his hands.

"What?" He yawned, wiping at the drool that had collected in the corner of his mouth.

"Terence Gafferty, meet Dawn Summers…the new sixth year. I figured you could show her around since I have a lot of classes today." Hannah smiled.

"Uh yeah, I guess I could, sure." He replied before placing his head back down and closing his eyes.

Dawn dropped her head back in laughter and after a moment Hannah was caught up in the giggles as well. "Is he always that friendly?"

"Oh haha, Terence doesn't understand that if he goes to sleep at a normal hour he wont be tired in the morning. He's had more detentions for sneaking about the castle then all of us Hufflepuffs had put together. I reckon he knows this castle just as well as the Weasley twins did. Too bad they're not around anymore…Terence idolized them." Hannah shook her head.

A ruckus on the other side of the room cause the two to pause their conversation and watch as a boy stumbled across the hall and out the door. The only thing Dawn caught sight of was his blonde head slipping through the door just before the hall went back to being noisy again.

"Draco Malfoy." Hannah had noticed Dawns eyes on the door. " Don't want to mess with his lot. Believe me all bad news. Hear his father is in cahoots with You-Know-Who."

"Voldemort?" Dawn questioned, completely oblivious that she had said anything wrong.

"My dear lord, don't do that Dawn." Hannah's hand was placed over her heart. "You say that name in front of the wrong person and it will get you into trouble, it will."

Dawn's eyes were still fixed steadily on the door. "Sorry…forgot. I'll have to get used to watching my mouth…"

Hannah followed Dawns gaze and placed her hand on the girls shoulder. "Really, Dawn. Don't get caught up with him. Not worth it at all, and you see…" She pointed across the room towards three figures at the far end of the table. "Those three are glued to his hip. Nasty bunch."

"I can take care of my own. I mean my sister has taught me a lot about defending myself."

"Look, defending yourself against Malfoy and his gang is like defending yourself against a chimaera, not likely a wonderful outcome, ya know?" Hannah shook Dawns shoulder. "So just forget about him, yeah yeah he is a looker, but mark my words he'd throw you to a manticore if it would save his own ass."

Dawn nodded, her eyes still lingering on the door. She held herself back from leaving the hall herself, perhaps drifting through the corridors and finding the boy who had just left. Something about him called out to her. Something strange but definitely intriguing. Oh she'd make it a point to see him again. Regardless of how dangerous Hannah claimed he could be.

"Professor Trelawney, if you could." Dumbledore called across the room.

All heads snapped towards the door and Dumbledore passed a smile onto Buffy as the doors slowly opened. Willow stepped inside with Professor Trelawney, her hands twisting nervously as the faces all seemed focused on her.

"Willow!" Dawn couldn't contain herself any longer, and she sprung from the Hufflepuff table.

"Dawnie?" Willow turned at the voice, her eyes filling with tears. It was like a dream, a perfect dream that she had so desperately wanted to come true.

"Willow we've missed you. We missed you so much." Closing the distance between them she wrapped her arms around Willow and began to cry. "It's so good to see you. So great! And guess what, I'm going to be going to classes here. They accepted me here! Ts great isn't it?"

Willow cold barely manage finding the strength to speak. Dawn being here with her was just what she needed. "And Buffy agreed with this?" Willow laughed, her hands rubbing Dawns back.

"Course I did, but you didn't think I'd let her come alone did ya?"

Willow pulled away from Dawn, her eyes misting over even more. For everything that had been wrong these last few days, well it all just seemed to instantly melt away. Xander and Giles stood at the Professors table, both grinning madly. Willow laughed, waved to them both, then turned her attention back to Buffy.

"I don't- you're here…" She wiped at her eyes. She could feel the stares from the other students but at a time like this she just didn't give a damn.

"Yeah, I'm here. We tried to find a couple of replacements for your Scooby spot, but none of them cut it. So we came to you instead. Besides Giles had an itching to get back to his homeland. You should have heard him on the way here…..he practiced all his bloody British words." They both grinned, wrapped their arms around each other and hugged.

Well what do you think? I could have made this chapter way longer cause I had so much left to say, but I figured I'd just save it for next time. Please please please review! I really appreciate them! Thanks to all of you that did review. You guys are awesome!!!!!! Next update will be soon.

Another note: Sorry I had to fix up this chapter so a few things were changed if your reading it again.


	7. First Encounters

**Disclaimer: **The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept. I do not own any Buffy stuff either, cause if I did I wouldn't have ended it at season 7.   
  
**Notes**: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at .   
  
**Quick Summary**: _He_ was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. _She_ was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.

Chapter 7 First Encounters

"I can't believe you're really here!" Willow's hand was entwined with Buffy's as the group of them were escorted through the corridors by Professor Dumbledore.

Breakfast had ended with a loud applause by the students, and after many of them introduced themselves to Buffy and the lot Dumbledore insisted they settle into their rooms for a few hours before they began their classes. Buffy was instructed that she'd be teaching years fourth and higher, and her first class would be this afternoon with the seventh years. Though she had personally hated all those years spent in Sunnydale High she was actually looking forward to teaching the little twerps a couple of fighting moves.

"Believe me, I cant even believe I'm here. It's like a land of mini Giles…" She cringed as they moved by a group of second years. " Mostly though we came cause Dumblie said it would help your transition…plus I hear there are some killer things out in the forest." Buffy grinned.

"Here we are everyone." Dumbledore stood in front of a large portrait. "When you want to go inside all you need to do is say 'Hellmouth'" He chuckled. " and the portrait will open."

"Um- question…." Xander moved his eyes to the various paintings around them. "Do uh well do these paintings always move?" He pointed to one in particular where a centaur galloped quickly back and forth across the canvas.

"Nothing here is what it seems Mr. Harris. I'd advise you to spend a little time with the young Ms. Summers. She'll be able to tell you a lot about this new world you have stepped into." Ushering the group of them inside Dumbledore flicked his hands towards the fireplace and ignited the wood. "Now, please settle in. I have left you all itineraries for the day. There are enough bedrooms for each of you, and I have personally set up a dungeon room for Spike if we should ever find him."

"Spike is here?" Willow quirked her eyebrow towards Buffy.

Rolling her eyes Buffy moved across to the large brown couch that rested in front of the fire. "Unfortunately. God he's been acting so weird lately, and I mean weirder than the usual Spike weirdness…"

"Albus…" Giles piped up as the girls continued to catch up on gossip. He caught wind of Willow explaining the recent events with her friends and Giles smiled. " I was wondering Albus is you'd be so kind as to show me where the library is now. I'd like to have a word with Madam Pince and hopefully catch up on some reading."

"Not a problem Rupert." Dumbledore gave a slight nod to the girls before slipping out the door with Giles.

"Now that the old guys are gone and Dawn is off in class lets really get down to business." Xander kicked off his shoes and reached for the parchment itineraries that Dumbledore had left for them. "Oh great merciful Zeus…it's my first day and I'm already late."

"What ya mean?" Buffy peered over the back of the couch and watched as Xander slipped his shoes back on in a hurry.

"I mean I'm supposed to be assisting the potions class now. I didn't know they had classes right after breakfast!" Grabbing his new robe, Xander gave the girls a wave before high tailing it out of the room.

"Well now that we're really alone we can really talk." Buffy leaned back and scooted over slightly to give Willow some room. "So getting back to things…you were friends with Harry but also friends with this Dragon kid?"

"Draco, Buffy…and yeah like I was saying Draco and I have sort of found this unique bond between us?"

"How unique is this bond?" Buffy ached her eyebrow as a smile curled to her lips.

"Oh nothing like that." Willow chuckled. " Gay remember.." She raised her hand as though admitting it to a group of strange people.

Buffy laughed. " Yeah I remember. So Will, all this stuff has been happening and you felt the need to hide it from me?"

Willow stood from the couch and began wringing her hands ever so slightly. She had wanted to keep Buffy and the others from worrying. She had wanted to pull through this on her own but all she had done was make it worse from the start. Pacing the room slowly Willow reached for the itinerary for Buffy and read it silently. Avoiding the questioning of her best friend was a rotten thing to do, but she just couldn't fess up to her problems.

"I know your avoiding it Will. Oh come on…" Buffy jumped from the couch and began pacing behind the red head. "Just tell me why you wanted to hide it all. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm tainted Buffy, ok. Is this what you want to hear?" Willow halted in her steps, her hands shaking with a mixture of anger and depression.

"What do you mean?"

"You all think I can come in here and learn to control what's inside of me. You all think its so bloody easy for me to become good old reserved bookworm Willow again. You tell me, and you tell me, and I cant stand to think about how awful I really am. I'm a murderer, a fake and a phony. People have placed their children in this school because it's safe but they don't know a murder eats breakfast, lunch and dinner with them! " The tears were rolling heavily down her cheeks and Buffy reached up to wipe them away. " I tried to be good Buffy…I did. I tried so hard but all I want is Tara back, and I'm so weak. He keeps telling me he can help me…in my dreams he tells me and each night I fight harder and harder to turn away. You wanted me to survive this and come back to you as the Willow I used to be, but I cant Buffy. That Willow is dead, and she can't be resurrected. All I can do is pray that I can pull through this hell."

"Willow." Buffy's voice was low. "Who tells you he can help you? Who has been visiting you in your sleep."

Willows body continued to tremble. "He does…the man in the black cloak."

Buffy ran her hand over her face. "Willow I've been having strange dreams too. I mean, really strange dreams. " Her mind settled upon the unnerving words the mysterious man had said in her dream. _He is coming for her. He will take her, and when the time is right he will kill her. You will be needed to protect. Your greatest test will arise soon Buffy. Your greatest success and your greatest failure…"_

"Look Buffy I don't think your dreams can compare to the ones I've been having." Willow wiped at her eyes again.

"I've been dreaming about this man. He, well he usually just tells me that he's missed me, and stupid silly stuff like that but recently…" She took a breath. "Will, recently he has been telling me that someone will take her. Someone I need to protect will be taken and it will prove to be my greatest success and my greatest failure. I dream about this guy all the time and he always warns me. Will…I thought he was talking about Dawn for the longest time and now. Will I think he was talking about you. I think the reason I'm here is to help you." Willow choked on her sobs. "Will you don't have to go through any of this alone any longer. We're all here, Xander and Dawnie…Giles is up in the library. Will, your fight is now our fight….you wont have to do any of this alone." Grasping her friend by the shoulders Buffy took Willow in her arms and squeezed. "No more scary aloneness…"

"But Buffy what if you can't protect me? What if these things we have been dreaming about are one of your slayer visions? If your greatest success will also be your greatest failure…oh Buffy I just don't know anymore." Shoving her hands into the pockets of her robe she sighed. "Everything was so much easier before I started magic. Maybe…maybe I was stupid from the beginning."

Buffy shook her head, "No. You're not stupid, Will. A little down right now, but definitely not of the stupid realm. You are the brightest person I know and even Dumblie knows that. He said you were doing well here. He said your teachers have been praising you-"

"Except for Snape." Willow cut her off.

"Come again?" Buffy questioned.

"Snape, the Potions Professor. Blasted man hates my guts cause Im in Gryffindor. He has given me hell since my first day here." She kicked at the floor with her toe.

"Well then it looks like I'll be paying a little visit to the man." Buffy grinned, stretching her arms up over her head. "Hey Will…"

"Yeah?" Willow tore her eyes from the clock, realizing she needed to get to Herbology.

"Since we've both been having these strange dreams I think we should revert to old times. Ya know, shack up with Giles in the library and do some old school research." she grabbed her itinerary and smiled. "It would definitely help us out and totally make us feel more at home. What ya say?"

Willow closed her eyes and imagined. She recalled all those nights spent researching hell beasties and apocalypses. Those nights, though horrid at the time, were memories of the way things were. They way life had been before she had committed murder, and before she was shipped off to study magic. They were the best of times and the worst of times and all together the reminded her of a place she longed to be again.

"Sounds like a plan to me." And for those few fleeting moments alone with Buffy, Willow felt like the high school nerd she had once been.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Spike skulked through the castle dungeons with a sneer. In one breath he had agreed to attend this journey just to stay close to Buffy, in another he had done it to ease his mind of the ordeals that had recently past. He had loved her truly and unconditionally. It was the reason he went out and did exactly what he did in the first place. Now, his mind was beginning to regret that decision. All the pain and torment he had caused surged like lightening through his newly found soul and he cursed himself to hell. It was like the sunlight beat heavily upon him but as he gasped for air the sun didn't kill him….only burden him further with the pain.

It sucked.

He had wanted to tell her the night she came and found him in his crypt. He had every intention of spilling his heart out to her, apologizing for his actions, but he had caught himself. He had always thrived off peoples fear of him, and now he was fearful of what they thought. Like a vulnerable child he was caught in the chaos of walking the earth as a souled vamp and the only thing that would ease him would be taking her in his arms and having her again.

Pathetic.

The corridors down in the dungeons were cold and lonely. Spike actually found himself enjoying the feeling. He was cold and alone, and didn't need to bother explaining himself to anyone. Still the emotions inside of him ate at his flesh and made him itch for some activity. A fight of sorts. Any fight would do really though he doubted he would find one in a bloody schoolhouse.

"How the hell did she talk me into this?" He murmured, reaching into the pocket of his leather jacket and withdrawing a cigarette. Lighting the end he took a puff before settling his body against the wall.

"Smoking in here is illegal according to the Hogwarts rule. Plus it takes about ten years off your life." A girls voice came from the shadows and Spike cocked his head in the direction.

"Oh and who are you, some bleeding school marshal?" He took another drag and blew the smoke in her direction.

"Actually, yes I am." Hermione appeared in front of him, her arms folded firmly across her chest. "And if I'm not mistaken you are definitely not a student." Drawing her wand from her pocket she advanced on him. "There has been a lot of commotion here lately so tell me who you are and your business here before I call the Professors."

"Bloody hell." He flicked the cigarette against the wall and threw his hands in the air in mock surrender. "You can put the stick away little girl…I came in with the American lot this morning. I'm just keeping low profile is all."

"If you came with Buffy and her friends than why arent you with them now, and why do you sound British?" She took another step towards him, her wand firmly held in her hand.

"Because I didn't want to be seen with them you nosey twit." He scowled. " Interrogating me like a female Giles…who the hell are you?"

"Hermione Granger, Head Girl of the school, and you are?" She had yet to lower her wand.

"Put the stick down and I'll make nice."

For a moment she contemplated placing it away, but the look in his eyes had given off the aura of a neutered cat. He seemed perfectly harmless. "Its down, now tell me."

"Don't give up do you?" He stepped away from the wall. "Spike…"

"Spike what?" She tossed him a confused look.

"Oh you lot are bloody brilliant." He shook his head and pushed past her. "Spike, William the Bloody, The Big Bad….those names strike a bell?"

"Should they?"

"Argh!" He groaned in frustration. "I hate her! I hate her for bringing me here. I hate her for giving me this…" He pointed to his heart.

"Are you all right?" In her head she had confirmed that this bloke was crazy.

"No I'm not all right. I wont be until I can find a way to get rid of all this…" He grabbed at his head and sneered. "Damn!" Taking off down the corridor Hermione scratched her head.

" What a loon."

"I heard that you bushy haired pain in the arse." His voice echoed down the corridor.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So sorry, so sorry…" Xander flew into the Potions classroom and up to the front of the room. "Dumbledore didn't tell me class was right after breakfast so I wasn't-"

"Well we will owe him a personal thanks since you have now disrupted my class." Snape drawled, his eyes steadily observing Xander. " Class this is Mr. Harris. He will no doubt be nothing but a bother in this classroom so please just make due with his presence and continue with your work."

Xander frowned. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" For the five seconds he had been in the room he could already taste the hatred in his mouth.

"It means you will do as I tell you and keep quiet. " He arched his eyebrow waiting for Xander challenge, but when he took a seat Snape continued. "Now as I was saying, the Revealing Draught is not too difficult to make so I would like to think a few of you wont receive failing grades. We will brew the potions and then towards the end of class we will cover you with a sheet. You will take the potion and if your name appears above your head then your potion was brewed correctly. If something else should happen, well I will deal with that accordingly. Pair off with the person next to you and begin. All materials are at the front of the room." Turning briskly Snape moved towards his large chair and took a seat.

"Well he certainly is a grouchy one." Dawn whispered to Terence, the Hufflepuff who told Hannah he'd show her around.

"That's Snape. Here…I'll go get the stuff." Terence slipped from his chair and followed a few other students towards the front of the room.

"So how goes it Dawnie?" Xander had taken the liberty of moving about the room and learning the students names. So far he only remembered a kid names Millard, mostly cause his name was ridiculous, and Luna, another weirdo name. The class seemed to be made up of sixth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs and Xander wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He hadn't quite figured out this whole house jumbo yet.

"Oh things are great! Xander this is so exciting! I mean I'm finally learning real magic, and look…" She pulled out her wand. " Lumos." A light flickered at the tip. "I already know how to do things!"

"Excuse me Ms. Summers but I believe we are focusing on Potions not first year Charms work." Snape had appeared beside Xander.

"Oh Sorry sir, I was only showing…"

"You know I bit my tongue when Dumbledore suggested we teach your lot. I had every right to turn down his request but I didn't." He sneered, his greasy hair falling into his eyes. "Tell me Ms. Summers, how do you finish a Headache potion?"

"With munkroot of course." Dawn replied calmly.

His eyes narrowed. "And the Draught of Sleep, what is the key ingredient?"

"Diced flobberworm." She didn't miss a beat.

"And what about a acolate? What does it do?" His voice had climbed to a level that caused Xander to cringe.

"It- it's a a powder like substance found when scraping the scales of a salamander. It will extract the poison from various bites including spiders, Hilya plants and Doxies." Dawn grinned.

"Ten points from from…ten points from Hufflepuff since it seems as though Ms. Summers has taken to that house."

"That's not fair sir!" Terence cried as he placed the ingredients on the table.

"I think it is perfectly fair." Snape glared down at Dawn. "It's the price paid for being an insufferable know it all. Perhaps you'd be better off paling around with Ms. Granger."

"You cant just take house points away from her for knowing the right answer!" Xander stepped in front of Snape so he was cornered between his body and the table. "Besides she isn't even sorted into a house, you cant just pick and choose." Turning to Dawn Xander winked. "Ten points to Hufflepuff since Dawn knew all the answers…and she's super cute, and available to all you fine young men out there."

Dropping her head down on the table Dawn groaned.

"You do not have the authority to waltz in here and distribute house points!" Snape advanced on Xander.

"Oh yeah, well tell that to Dumblie. He said I have the right to issue all things that you Professors issue…including detention, house points and the occasional slide of homework, which all of you will get to witness tonight. There wont be any homework due for next class."

"This- this " Snape threw his eyes around the classroom. All students had stopped brewing their potions and settled back to watch the fireworks. "What are you all staring at, get back to work! These potions will be perfect and completed by the time class has ended." He tossed a final glare towards Xander and Dawn before leaving the classroom.

"Guess that means I'm in charge kiddos. Now complete the potion and don't worry about testing it. Vial it up and place it in the bin that Snapey has so graciously supplied us, then your free to go." He grinned and continued his rounds among the students.

"That was brilliant Dawn." Terence chuckled and began chopping up the Japanese beetles. "And your friend is wicked! I can't believe he just stepped above Snape! Brilliant!"

Dawn grinned, grabbing some sage and a knife, " You think Xander's cool….wait till you meet my sister."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Buffy stood at the front of the classroom with her arms folded over her chest. The students had been given a brief break from their first lecture before heading over to the second half of their defense class. The room was bare except a few cushions and chairs that lined the back of the room. On her schedule it was clearly stated that she'd be teaching Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh years, and she knew that included Willow as well. Her heart raced with excitement as she watched a couple of kids enter the room. Their eyes never left her as they moved towards the back and sat down on a few of the cushions.

"It wont be so bad…" Willow had finally arrived followed by three other Gryffindors.

"I really hope not." Buffy grinned, "So Harry…Ron….and Hermione right?" Buffy pointed to each of them as she spoke their names.

"Pleasure Ms. Summers." Ron took Buffy's hand and bowed.

Hermione and Harry erupted in giggles and as they pried Ron away from Buffy Willow just smirked. Turning away from Buffy Willow followed the three towards the back of the room where they all took a seat on a set of cushions. To be brutally honest, Willow was still feeling a bit guilty around them. After all the night before both Harry and Ron had accused her of murder. Still Hermione had insisted that she join them on their walk to class, but Willow figured it was mostly because they were all intrigued with Buffy.

"I don't see why we have to learn this mudblood fighting form. Wands equal magic which equal power…" Pansy Parkinson huffed into class followed by Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent. Bullstrode. " Wretched thing Dumbledore is doing by having this American twit teach us."

It was obvious to Buffy that Pansy had said this loud enough for her to hear. Partially because as she finished her sentence she flickered her eyes up towards the front of the room and smirked at Buffy. Oh now Buffy had promised to remain level headed during these training sessions. Mostly because Giles had asked Dumbledore to grant Buffy an assistant to the class. He knew Buffy far to well, and knew that sometimes, well many times her temper just blew out of control. Dumblie had firm belief in Buffy, however, and said that the class was to prepare the students for war not tea time. So she had full range of the class, well without putting anyone in the hospital wing of course.

So as the snooty girl flung her braids over her shoulder Buffy moved. Getting a very brief running start she catapulted off the nearest chair, somersaulted over Pansy's head and as she landed with such accuracy she grabbed Pansy by the neck and removed her wand from her pocket.

"Now imagine you had said that to the wrong person. You know how easy it would be for them to AK you?" Buffy quirked an eyebrow at the quivering Pansy.

"What's AK, Professor?" Dropping Pansy's wand and ushering the shaking girl to her seat Buffy looked over her shoulder towards the four figures in the doorway. The blonde hair boy in the front looked thoroughly impressed, but it was the girl to the left of him that asked the question.

"First off, everyone is to call me Buffy, ok? I mean come on Professor makes me sound old…and that I am definitely not." She grinned, placing her hands on her hips, watching as the four stragglers entered the room. " Now you are, she pointed to Pansy.

" Pansy Parkinson." The girl answered meekly.

"Well Pansy sorry to have demonstrated on you, but the skeptical need to learn the hard way sometimes. And now you…next to mini Spike." She pointed to Armina who was seated next to Draco.

"Oh- uh Armina Germaine." She looked over at Draco and gave him a confused look, unsure of what she meant by 'mini spike'.

"Well Miss Germaine I for one don't like to joke around when dealing with something serious. AK, well you'd probably recognize it as Avada Kedavra, but the reason I abbreviate the curse is because who really wants to mumble the words that could claim a human life? Not I…" She began to pace the room, glad that she had caught the attention of the class.

"So what are we going to be learning then? I mean whats the point of learning these tactics?" Hermione voiced up from beside Willow.

"Oh there are many reasons, one being the handy dandyness they can give you when fighting with an enemy…" She smirked towards Pansy. " I mean, these skills are important to have when your defending yourself, these skills have saved my rear plenty of times."

"But weren't you born with the skills? I mean you didn't have to train for them, the power was given to you all along." Hermione piped up again, Willow smiling at her friends intelligence.

"How were you born with fighting skills, what are you some mystical creature?" Seamus chuckled as he elbowed Dean.

"Actually that's exactly what she is…I mean the Slayer is a mystical being isn't it?" Armina added from her side of the room, casting Hermione a satisfied smirk that she had said it before Hermione.

"Well well well seems as though my secret isn't so secretive after all. Eh, I was never good at keeping the slayer stuff a hush anyway. Ten points to your house Ms. Germaine….which is…"

"Slytherin. " She smirked again and Draco gave her a pat on the knee.

Hermione looked terribly defeated as Armina spilled the answer before her, but it didn't stop her from casting Ron and Harry an 'I told you so' look. "So Buffy, we learned about you in class last year. You're the oldest slayer in history, and have defeated some of the most horrific creatures known. What brings you here when I'm sure there are plenty of other things going on that are far more important?"

Buffy smiled at the girls genuine questioning. "Actually Hermione being here is the most important thing right now." Moving across t he classroom she couldn't help but chuckle at all the gawking stares, "You see even if you didn't know it, you are already in the middle of a war. A war that you definitely can not avoid. You see going through the trials and tribulations of school are one battle, but on the other side of that door…beyond these walls that protect you there is a world of fighting just itching to get a hold of the young ones. You need to be prepared."

"But what can we possibly do? I mean we're only kids really, and if your suggesting that we fight against You-Know-Who, which I'm sure that's who you are talking about, we'd be dead against his followers in minutes. We don't have the power that they possess…." Lavender Brown spoke from her cushion.

Buffy shook her head. "You really don't understand do you?" She moved across the floor, flickering her gaze between each of the students before landing directly on Harry. "Knowing how to fight, learning the game, knowing your enemy…it isn't about knowing the darkest magic, or having the quickest draw…it's not about the purity of the blood that courses through your veins. It's not about what's right and what's wrong, or whether you have the power to take out the opposing side. They key to winning…the key to surviving depends on this…." She clasped her hands together, shaking them up and down slowly. "…loyalty, friendship, knowing that despite it all the person watching your back is someone you can trust, someone you love. When you can run into battle and know that the person fighting beside you will risk all odds to keep you safe, help you out…well that's all the power and strength your really need. " She grinned. "And a couple of ass kicking moves wouldn't be to bad either."

The class remained quiet for a moment, each student nodding slowly as they took in her words. Willow couldn't help but feel her eyes tear at her friends strengthening words. These children really had no idea what they were in for. They had no idea that the world around them was at the point of disaster, but for now as they sat behind the walls of Hogwarts the least they could do was prepare. Which lead Willow to arch her eyebrow as she watched Buffy point towards Draco.

"You, up…what's you name?" She began walking towards the other end of the room as Draco stood.

"Draco Malfoy…" He stated firmly, his hands digging into his pocket and removing his wand.

"Well Mr. Malfoy please meet your first opponent….uh….you." She pointed towards the back. "What's your name?"

"Neville Longbottom." Neville's eyes had gone wide with horror as he quickly shook his head from left to right. "I - I wont fight him though….he'll kill me."

There were a few muffled chuckles that filtered through the room and Buffy murmured a 'quiet' before addressing Neville again. "Oh don't let him frighten you. Besides I'm going to teach you the moves you'll be doing." She waited as Neville continued to shake his head no, and Buffy sighed. " Ok, so lets do it this way, who would like to go?"

The only person in the room to raise their hand was the least likely person in the classroom. As soon as everyone noticed her hand, Hermione stood up with her hands on her hips. "Well if this was a real battle against an enemy whose to say that it wouldn't be a spar between the opposite sex?" She glared at Draco who had begun to rub his chin absentmindedly. Hermione grinned even wider. Oh he knew the taste of her punches, in fact by now he should have been used to them.

"This is true Hermione, very sickly oddly true…" Buffy scrunched her nose. " But for now, while we are learning I'd like to stick to the same sex action." She shook her head at her own words. The chuckling in the classroom rose again and she waited until they settled down. "So come on, who wants a shot with Dragon over here…"

"Draco." He corrected, giving Willow a smirk before leaning back against a chair.

"I'll go."

Heads spun in the direction of the voice and an eager rush of conversation spread throughout the students.

" Great, ten points to Gryffindor since Harry was the only brave one here to volunteer." She rolled her eyes slightly. "Ok both of you hand me your wands." She held out her hand and waited for the two to place them in her hand. Once they were both firmly in her grip she marched back up to the front of the room and placed them on the tiny desk she had set up for herself. "Ok…" Clapping her hands together she looked between the two. " First things first, this wont be a chance for you to work out some pent up petty squall you two might be in, and that goes for the rest of you too. All I want you to do Harry is let Draco advance on you. Once he is arms length of you I want you to reach out with your right hand, press all of your body weight down, give your knees a little bit and then toss him over your shoulder. Draco the floor is padded so don't worry about getting hurt. Once Harry had tossed you once you will switch and you can toss Harry." Stepping back she placed her hands on her hips. "Whenever your ready."

"I was hoping it'd come down to this." Draco hissed under his breath.

"What the hell are you talking about Malfoy I'm flipping you remember?" Harry took a stance, ready for Draco's first move.

"Yeah right Potter, like I'd let your filthy half-blood hands touch me." He smirked at Harry's frown. "Oh don't take offense Potter, you're a tad ahead of that mudblood over there." He charged.

Harry, instead of grabbing his arm, wound up and punched Draco in the nose in a fit of rage. "You bastard." He cursed, turning away as Draco squirmed on the floor.

"What was that about!" Buffy shouted, reaching out and grabbing Harry's shoulder. " I said you'd only do what I tell you to? Where do you get off not following the rules Harry?" But before Harry could answer Draco had managed to pull to his feet and charge at Harry's back. In the sudden movement it had knocked Buffy over as well, and she went careening into Seamus Finnigans lap.

Seamus seemed rather excited about the visit, and smirked like a madman when she finally pulled herself up off of him. Buffy started for the two her face filled with slayer fury. Yet as the two exchanged punch after punch, and kick after kick, Buffy stopped. Hell if they wanted to have it out with each other than that was fine with her.

"Professor…Buffy…please, do something!" Hermione had pushed herself up off the cushion, and desperately tried to stop the fight between the two. When she reached for her wand Buffy only snatched it away before anything was cast.

"Had enough yet Potter?" Draco smashed his fist into the side of Harry's face. The world spun for just a second, and wiping the blood from his lip Harry shook his head.

"I'd rather die fighting then submit…"

Buffy had to admit she was rather impressed at Harry's sweet uppercut. The boy could certainly pack a punch. After about five minutes of the boys sissy combat Buffy stepped in between the two and caught both their fists mid punch. "Happy now?" She let go of their hands and sent them to their seats. "Now what did that accomplish? Huh? You two fought like a couple of children just now. Letting yourself get carried away because he insulted you….Harry that's how people get killed. They try to act the man but all they end up is buried six feet down in the ground." She shook her head. "And you Draco, you think you're super slick by egging Harry on? You were itching to fight him, but I didn't see much fighting coming from your end. I just saw a lot of missed jabs and a lot of blood streaming from your nose."

Hermione had muttered a healing charm on Harry and his lip stopped bleeding, but that was the least of his concern at the moment. All he cared about was what Buffy was saying. Which was pretty much the idea of the entire class as all eyes remained glued to her figure. It was like the words that spilled from her lips were words of gold, and Willow grinned wildly up at her friend.

"But this is what you wanted right? A chance to duke it out and get the better of your enemy. A chance to prove that your some hero that the world should worship. Reality check…heroes don't act like five year olds. You want to learn how to fight, you want to become a hero, then be prepared to work for it. Be prepared to test every part of your body to a degree you didn't think you were capable of. And if you can handle that then you are welcome to stay in this class for the remainder of the school year. But if you'd rather toss around the insults, made asinine decisions and eventually get yourself killed because of your stupidity…then I suggest you leave." The entire class remained rooted to the floor. " Then lets begin for real this time…"

"Buffy that was amazing!" Willow stood at the front of the room next to her best friend. " I mean did you plan that the whole time? Did you know they'd fight like that?" Willow glanced over her shoulder towards Draco. Blaise was still trying to fix his bleeding nose with a charm.

"I had a semi clue. I'm pretty observant with those things. Saw the two of them eye each other down when Draco walked in late. So I figured I'd set them up, glad it worked out the way I planned. I just wanted them to know what they were in for before we really got going." Buffy packed up the shoulder bag that she had brought with her.

"Great class Buffy!" Hermione waved as Ron and Harry followed her out with a nod.

"See you guys." Buffy smiled. "Good kids." She nodded towards the trio, gathering up the last text before leaving the classroom with Willow.

Seamus Finnigan turned to Neville and smiled. "She totally wants me. Did you see how she just accidentally fell into my lap?"

"Malfoy knocked into Harry and Harry knocked her into you. It was a complete accident Seamus. Plus she's our teacher! " Dean Thomas added.

"You two are just jealous that the teacher has the hots for me and not you. And so what if she's our teacher! What is she like five years our senior? " Seamus waltzed up towards the front of the room, his fingers grabbing at the parchment that Buffy had left on the table. " I mean really now fellas, I cant help it that I'm such a hot commodity. Did you see the way she looked at me when she stood up? Swear she licked her lips like she was going to snog me or something."

"Who ya talking about Seamus?" Buffy had waltzed back into the classroom with a grin. Oh she had overheard everything they said, and Willow had remained outside the room hysterical laughing.

"Oh um Pro-Buff-I-here." He handed her the parchment.

"Thanks Seamus I don't know what I would have done if I lost this." She ruffled his hair with a smile. "See you guys."

"I told you she wants me." Seamus puffed out his chest.

"I'm standing in the doorway…" Buffy laughed, her voice dripping in a sing-song way. Shaking her head as Willow doubled over in laughter they began down the corridor, her eyes focused on the sheet of names in her hand. "So your friends seem…strange."

"Gee thanks." Willow took a breath, eased her laughter slightly and then sighed. "It's weird Buffy. I mean Harry and the lot are super great. They have been so nice to me these past few weeks, and I don't know if I would have made it at all if it weren't for them." They turned the corner, dodging some Hufflepuffs that sped down the corridor. " But Draco has been completely understanding of my problems. He know's what its like to feel lost. He's been in touch with all that darkness before so he knows how wretched I've been feeling."

"Maybe you should just focus on what makes you happy instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks." Buffy's eyes had caught sight of a familiar blonde head bobbing through the crowd.

"Your probably right. I guess I just don't-" She paused. "Buffy?"

"Oh hey sorry…Hey Will do me a favor and meet me in my room after dinner tonight. I just- I need to go see someone." She gave Willow's arm a rub and then in a blink she was off down the hall.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So if you head back up these last three staircases, and follow the corridor all the way to the end you should be able to find the portrait to your room." Terence stood with Dawn outside the Hufflepuff dorms.

He had done a fairly good job showing her around the place, and Dawn had to admit that she could totally get used to living in a place as cool as Hogwarts. "Thanks a lot Terence. I'm just gonna head upstairs and drop off my books. Tell Hannah to save me a seat at dinner ok?"

"You got it. " He yawned.

Dawn took off up the staircase, her head fuzzy from the strenuous day. In all she had done fairly well in classes. The most interesting definitely being the Potions lesson with Snape and Xander. In Charms Flitwick had commented on her eagerness to learn Color Charms, and even Professor Trelawney had predicted that Dawn would do some miraculous things this term. Things were positively grand!

Turning onto the second staircase she took the steps two at a time as her eyes danced happily about the place. She waved casually to a younger looking Gryffindor as he went down the stairs, and she smiled broadly at the portrait of Dracula, recalling the time that Buffy- well no she really couldn't recall those times. She wasn't even real then. In a sense she still wasn't real at all.

"Ow!" At the top of the staircase she collided with another figure. Her head had been so caught up on being real that she hadn't even seen the person turn the corner.

"You should watch where you're going" She reached for his outstretched hand and got to her feet.

"Oh yeah, how bout you?" Her eyes rose to meet the eyes of the stranger before her.

"I was watching, twit! I just-" His eyes finally took in the girl that was standing before him.

"You!" These were the first words exchanged between Draco Malfoy and Dawn Summers.

Oh man! I had another seven pages of this chapter, but I figured I'd save it for Chapter 8. I'm dying over here! This is getting way to long! LOL. Anyway I want to thank you guys for all your kind reviews. A special thanks to The Last Hope. Your reviews have truly been wonderful and they totally help me get my stuff up quicker.

The action is totally going to start picking up now, and I promise that nothing is what it seems to be. SO please drop off a review cause it really helps me work faster. Thanks again! Love you guys!

Lady Mione


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